The Lobster

Colin Farrell's moustache. Blind Rachel Weisz. A bactrian camel. If this combination of things seems like a no-brainer to you, then you will love The Lobster. This film has the tagline of "an unconventional love story" and I think this is a bit of an understatement. All I can really say in this opening paragraph is that The Lobster is more of an experience than a film.

In a dystopian future where forced encouplement is mandatory, David (Colin Farrell) is sent for a forty-five day stay at a hotel where he must find love within this time period. If he does not, he will be turned into an animal of his choosing. He is able to get more time to complete this by hunting down "loners" (single people who live in the woods) and will get an extra day for every loner captured. He becomes friends with the Lisping Man (John C. Reilly) and the Limping Man (Ben Whishaw). After a violent encounter, David flees the hotel and joins the loners, whose leader (Léa Seydoux) is suspicious of him. He soon falls in love with the Short Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz).

This is Greek director Yargos Lanthimos' first English language film and it shows. Throughout the film I was wondering whether or not the writer had a grasp of English and apparently not. This, however, does not work against the film at all. Indeed it is quite the opposite. The simple sentences that are present actually makes the dystopian future more disturbing. At the same time it also makes it very funny, especially with the demonstrations on why being single is dangerous. While we're on the subject of dystopias, this one is done really well. We are not told how this future is functioning, we only get revealed to it piece by piece for us to figure out on our own.

The film takes quite a satirical approach to current societal norms, especially that of being in a relationship. Except this takes that expectation to the extreme. A single woman is stopped and searched extensively in a shopping mall. The single people who fail to find a match get released into the wild once they are turned into animals and once in this state they are vulnerable to whatever happens to them.

I'd walk a little faster, but these pants are really tight.

Colin Farrell's straight performance makes this black comedy even funnier than it is. It already has an uneasy comedic quality to it, but once you watch David's acceptance that he must spend the first 24 hours with one hand tied behind his back, you'll be laughing. Even more when the Lisping Man's punishment for masturbating is having his hand burnt in a toaster. These oddball laughs can come out of nowhere, like when the Limping Man decides to suddenly bash his face against the wall to impress the Nosebleed Woman (Jessica Barden).

Colin Farrell is remarkable as David. His somber mood reflects the entire feel of the movie and his acceptance of the world makes you feel comfortable with the entire setting. John C. Reilly is uniquely offbeat with his Lisping Man, but not too far away from his famous character Dr. Steve Brule. Ben Whishaw's desperate performance is great. Rachel Weisz has excellent chemistry with Farrell.

The Lobster will leave you speechless once you've finished watching it. You'll be confused, you'll be amazed. One thing's for sure, you won't forget it.

Far From the Madding Crowd

Thomas Vinterberg's last film The Hunt (Jagten) was a nuanced, dark drama about a man whose life was thrown into turmoil thanks to social preconceptions. His latest film Far From the Madding Crowd is his take on the classic Thomas Hardy novel about an independent woman who refuses to abide to the social normalities assigned to her as a female.

Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is an independent woman working on a small farm in Victorian England. She befriends a Shepard, Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) who swiftly proposes to her, but Ms. Everdene is not looking for a husband. After his young sheep dog viciously drives his herd off a cliff and to their deaths, Gabriel is forced to take a job at a once great farm. It turns out that this farm was owned by Bathsheba's uncle, who has left it to her in his will. Ms. Everdene runs the farm with efficiency, ambitious to return it to its former glory. The neighbouring farm is run by Mr. Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a mature bachelor who is eventually also drawn to Ms. Everdene. A young, seemingly-jilted soldier, Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) takes up residence as a farm-hand and becomes the third suitor to Bathsheba. With three men willing to become her husband and conflicting personal values, Ms. Everdene ultimately has to make a choice between the three, or for independence.

I'm not normally drawn to costume dramas, but Far From the Madding Crowd floored me with its strong plot and well-developed characters, Bathsheba in particular. But what makes a strong female lead? Or for that matter, a strong male lead? A rejection of the necessities of masculinity would certainly create a burgeoning male and to that end, Ms. Everdene's dismissal of the social requisite to acquire a man makes her an independent, ultimately well-rounded female character. But these traits are rooted in Hardy's novel and ultimately it takes Carey Mulligan's refined abilities to bring Bathsheba to life. She's determined, yet flawed and whilst her values are central to her development, she acknowledges her personal betrayals when she dares to wear her heart on her sleeve. All of this remains exquisitely detailed through Mulligan's performance. 

Similarly, Gabriel - played by the ever talented Matthias Schoenaerts - is not concerned with achieving a status supposedly appropriate to his gender, but still sees Bathsheba as vulnerable and requiring of his protection, despite her constantly proving him wrong. Ultimately for me, he and Mr. Boldwood - played by Michael Sheen as stern yet emotionally vulnerable - tie as suitable companions for Ms. Everdene, but her drive for independence trumps any desire in the audience to see their romantic relationships develop. On the other hand, Sergeant Troy comes off as a supremely unlikable character, driven by the arrogance of youth and little more than an abusive male, despite his past hardships. I understand that the final act is much more developed in the novel, but I doubt that a longer running time for the sake of a fully-fledged denouement would ultimately pay off.

The look of Far From the Madding Crowd is hardly revolutionary filmmaking. Vinterberg once again works with Charlotte Bruus Christensen who shot The Hunt and the visual similarities are noticeable. The rural setting makes for some beautiful scenery, but my only reservation is with some questionable camera movements which distract from the story, namely several dramatic zooms which I'm sure hold artistic meaning but are nonetheless jarring. The overall composition is relatively fast-paced - within about ten minutes we already have sheep diving off cliffs to meet with a brutal bloody end - which would certainly help those who, like me find it difficult to dive into period pieces.

Thomas Vinterberg has formed a distinct adaptation of the original text, which ultimately captures Hardy's memorable characters and social reflections in an enthralling format. Far From the Madding Crowd is not his greatest film, but it's certainly worthy of your viewing.