Is ‘The Lobster’ a masterpiece or pretentious absurdism?
The Lobster for one is not an easy movie to watch for many. Especially for a person who is on a steady diet of movies guaranteed to elicit some fixed reaction be it the thrill from an action movie, the induced paranoia on watching horror or the regret after watching anything lately by Adam Sandler. The Lobster will most definitely leave the viewer with more questions than what would be considered a healthy amount.
What is most intriguing about the film is it’s bizarre premise.
In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.
Now that one line has got enough pull to make you watch it, simply cause of how surreal it sounds. But nothing prepares you for what the movie turns out to be.
The Lobster, although labelled a dark comedy, might not have moments where you’d actually laugh. Just like Donald Trump becoming the next American president, it’s funny as a thought but morbidly terrifying as a real situation to deal with. Personally the funniest bit in the film is when the ironical leader of the loners states: “We dance alone. That’s why we only play electronic music.”
Having not watched any of Yorgos Lanthimos’ works before, the uniqueness of the experience made it seem like a directors film. There are times when The Lobster does have a Wes Anderson meets Stanley Kubrick quality to it, but those aren’t the moments that really define the nature of the film and end up being just coincidental.
The film looks marvellous. Even though the teal-orange colour treatment has been obnoxiously exploited by hollywood, the desaturated wash to the frame gives it a much more pleasing vibe as opposed to the usual assault on the senses. The visual treatment tends to have a drained dull palette that signifies the lack of empathy amongst the characters even more. The oddly timed music with its abrupt viola stabs and flowing piano sonatas does manage to give an unearthly feel to the setting.
There are problems here too. The pacing does go really awry at times with the uncomfortable awkward pauses, intentional deadpan delivery and the lack of a cohesive direction. And these issues do make it an unlikely watch amidst the summer blockbusters we’re usually exposed to. But that is exactly the reason why The Lobster is what it is.
The film is not meant to be an entertainer, but rather a twisted painting that you stare at for hours trying to make sense of it. The only way to quell the throbbing questions is by answering them with personally convincing interpretations of the story.
For example the reason for the deadpan interactions are that technology has distanced the people to a degree where even simple exchanges often seem like chatroom discussions. ‘The City’ is a stand in for the society that will literally cast you at as an animal if you don’t conform to its principles. The constant disagreement between The Hotel/Couples and The Loners, both which struggle to survive on their own and yet enforce a system to add more meaning to their ideologies. These are just interpretations, but in my head they fit consistently. [IMDB user dilyanstoev has done a beautiful analysis on whether it is all a political satire.]
A quick at most of the discussion forums on this film reveal how people have either found a deeper meaning to it all or have vehemently hated the lack of reason for its existence. And yet it doesn’t matter. The film is what you make of it, not what it means to everyone else so that you can nod and agree.
The ending still felt like a rap on the balls though!
Irrespective of whether you like the movie or not you must check out their website to decide which animal you’d want to be.
