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NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL 2015--THE LOBSTER Send This Review to a Friend
People who choose to remain single had better see “The Lobster,” a fantasy set in the future. In the film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and screened at the 2015 New York Film Festival the rule is that everyone has to be coupled. The penalty for remaining single is being turned into an animal.
( In present New York life many women would describe some of the single men encountered as already animals, but that’s an idle thought not part of the film.)
The futuristic action takes place in a seaside area, and there are deadlines in which to find a mate. Arriving is Colin Farrell as David, who is recently divorced. Amusingly, he is accompanied by his brother, who has already become a dog. What does David want to be if he is unsuccessful in finding another wife? His choice is a lobster. Why? They have a long life.
The fantasy is piled on, sometimes amusingly, sometimes romantically, sometimes boringly. There’s another group, led by attractive Léa Seydoux (“Spectre”), called The Loners. Also in the cast is Rachel Weisz as a woman whom David loves.
The complications are piled on in this fantasy world laden with danger and intrigue. The whole idea begins to wear thin after a while, but a good cast (including John C. Reilly and Ben Wishaw) help keeps one interested most of the way and the director has to be admired for going to town with such a far-fetched idea. Posted November 10, 2015.
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