Animal Magnetism: ‘The Lobster’ forces people to love at love’s cruelty
What happens when a person is single for more than 45 days?
According to the film “The Lobster,” on DVD and Blu-ray this week, they are turned into an animal of their choosing and sent loose into the woods.
David (Colin Farrell, “Phone Booth” and “True Detective”) tries to avoid this fate when he is forced to check into a “hotel” where single people make one last attempt to find a mate or face the animal-changing consequences.
The “Short Sighted Woman” (Rachel Weisz, “The Mummy” and “Oz the Great and Powerful”) and “Lisping Man” (John C. Reilly, “Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and “Chicago”) are in the same boat as David.
While the film seems to flow in the vein of unusual, according to an interview with Farrell on EW.com, reporter Joe McGovern says that he has heard people refer to the film as being cruel.
“Right, the cruel thing. Frankly, there are some friends of mine who loved it and some friends who didn’t love it, but each one of them can’t deny that it’s a completely original piece of work. Obviously I know (co-screenwriter) Efthymis Flilippou and (director) Yorgos Lanthimos very well, and I can say that in spirit neither of those men are cruel at all,” said Farrell. “But they do look upon the world and they can’t help but see the cruelties that abound in every aspect of life, whether it is political or social or in education or health or in relationships.
“The world, as we know, is rampant with cruelty, and they’re fascinated with those machinations and the games that are played to gain power and oppress others.”
Whether it is perceived as cruel or not, audiences and critics have enjoyed the film.
“In a world devoted to happy endings, where platitudes like ‘the right person is out there waiting for you’ or ‘someday your Prince will come’ are parroted as Unquestioned Truths, the film is a welcome breath of freezing cold, poisoned air,” wrote critic Sheila O’Malley for RogerEbert.com.
“Truly original film, though ‘1984’s’ fingerprints are all over it; great understated performance by Colin Farrell, though almost too understated in places,” wrote Daniel Perry on RottenTomatoes.com.
But, not everyone was feeling the love.
“I have an appreciation for absurdist fare, but ‘The Lobster’ is an overcooked comedy that loses steam about halfway through the experience,” wrote Michael Smith of Tulsa World on RottenTomatoes.com.
The film is rated R for sexual content including dialogue and some violence.
Other films that came to DVD and Blu-ray this week include:
n “The Bronze” starring Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole and Haley Lu Richardson and directed by Bryan Buckley in this comedy about a bronze medalist gymnast that is convinced to train a rising Olympian.
The film is rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language throughout and some drug use.
n “Mother’s Day” starring Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and directed by the late Garry Marshall in this comedy/drama about three generations coming together for Mother’s Day.
The film is rated PG-13 for language and some suggestive material.
n “Keanu” starring Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Tiffany Haddish and directed by Peter Atencio in this action comedy about rescuing a stolen kitten from a dangerous crew.
The film is rated R for violence, language throughout, drug use and sexuality/nudity.
TV series now on DVD and Blu-ray include:
n “Dennis the Menace” the complete series starring the voices of Breannan Thicke, Jeannie Elias and Marily Lightstone in this animated series about the adventures of the incorrigible Dennis Mitchell that was the star of Hank Ketcham’s famous comic strip.
n “The Knick” the complete second season starring Clive Owen, Andre Holland and Jeremy Bobb in this Cinemax series that offers the audience a look at the lives of staff members of New York Knickerbocker Hospital during the first part of the 20th century.
n “Cashmere Mafia” the complete series starring Lucy Liu, Frances O’Connor and Miranda Otto in this comedy/drama series about a group of female executives who have been friends for a long time that often lean on each other as they juggle their busy and hectic lives.
N “The Girlfriend Experience” season one starring Riley Keough, Paul Sparks and Mary Lynn Rajskub in this Stars drama based on the novel with the same name by Steven Soderbergh that follows the life of a New York call girl.