The Lobster is
not bad cinema, but I find it hard to recommend this movie to anyone. I guess
the message of the movie is its strength, rather than the tale in which the
message is woven.
The movie has a
statement it tries hard to make within the confines of almost two hours. The
weirdness, the musical score, and the world in which the movie exists are not
something I enjoyed much. In fact, the only time the movie was truly enjoyable,
at its peak, was when David got into a relationship with a woman who was
emotionless. After that, the movie felt like another long drag in another
world, where the opposite meal is served, but on the same plate.
As for the
acting, the movie doesn’t cut any slack. The actors are on top of their game
here, dancing away and showing us how good they are.
When it comes to
the story, well, it’s easy to follow. The weirdness and, somehow, the numbness
of the ride before things pick up when David finds a partner almost made me
stop watching.
The plot drops us into this world where everyone is believed to be nothing or not worth being if they do not have a partner. David (Colin Farrell) just lost his wife to another man. David is taken to a hotel where he has to stay until he finds another partner. The hotel has many rules, the main one being: if you do not find a partner within the stipulated time period, you will be turned into an animal of your choosing.
Another of the
hotel rules is that you can extend your days of waiting to find a partner if
you hunt down single people who live in the forest.
David now has an
uphill battle because he is not totally getting along in finding a partner, but
he has a plan to make sure he gets one. As you would expect in movies, things
never go as planned.
The movie’s two
main statements, from my own point of view, are:
- Not everyone will get to be with someone or find a
partner that fits just right. Some of us will have to wait longer than
others to find someone. Some of us will find the okay person (not a
perfect fit, but good enough to make us happy) after waiting a long time
in the most awkward places, places we never thought they could be.
- Sex and romance should not be confined to the
bounds of marriage. Neither should it be something society frowns upon
when a single person seeks sexual pleasure in the way they choose. We
should be free to express ourselves as we please. No one should be made to
feel bad for choosing one way to satisfy themselves over another.
In the end, the
message of the movie is what makes it, not the movie itself. So, I don’t know
if you’ll want to see this movie. The choice is yours.
Do note, it was
a box office success, making over four times its production budget, and it was
a critical success too. It won and received many nominations during its year of
release.
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