9) The Lobster
If you could become any animal, what would you like to be? An elegant dolphin? A majestic tiger? As you may have guessed, the star of Yorgos Lanthimos’ English language debut chose to become a lobster, citing the fact that they remain sexually active into old age as a key reason. If you had the same immediate response, no judgement, my friend.
The story of The Lobster is a bizarre amalgamation of comedy and romance, yet defies categorization in either genre. The film itself takes place in a future that looks similar to our own, where single men and women are sent to a retreat and given 45 days to find a romantic partner. If the singletons still fail to find “love” after the mandatory dances and couples propaganda, they’re then transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into the surrounding forest.
The Lobster is not for everyone. With deliberately stilted acting, moments that shock as much as amuse and a lag in the final act, some may walk away from The Lobster with loathing, but for those willing to give it a chance, Lanthimos’s oddity is one of the best films you’ll see this year, satirizing contemporary dating in the most bizarre way possible.
Seriously though. If you genuinely would have chosen to be a lobster too, then we need to talk.
