THE LOBSTER

The pitch of a film by Yorgos Lanthimos will invariably raise your eyebrows. In The Lobster, Colin Farrell, paunchy and pitiful, enters a strictly run hotel that is shut o from the outside, and in which single people quickly have to nd a mate. If they fail to do so, they are dispossessed of their humanity and transformed into the animal of their choosing. The lm’s hero would like to become a lobster.
With this mind-boggling starting-point, the Greek filmmaker evokes the denial of solitude in a globalising society and the hypocrisy of contemporary romantic relationships. The Lobster, which won awards at the Cannes Film Festival, is a rare and moving work. It is also an attempt at a visionary and bitter-sweet fantasy film.