Nowadays both men and women are skilled in the cowardly art of ghosting and it’s not uncommon for someone to count a night of tripping on molly as the equivalent of being in a different area code. And of course we all know that it doesn’t count as cheating if you’re in another area code right? Thanks for that Ludacris! We’ve become so reliant and adept at communicating via text and social media that when we actually do see one another face to face, all the sparks seem to fade away as we have no clue how to interact in person. "Oh wait, I can’t put a filter on my face right now? Is she going to notice that my right eye is bigger than my left one? I wish I could Google an awesome meme to send her; that way she’d still think I was funny!"
It’s like we need a step by step instruction manual on how to have real life relationships while we’re sober. Now I realize that I’m starting to sound like a bitter old man, and believe me when I say that I can keep going as I have a long highlight reel of awkward encounters that I could reference to support my theory, but just know that I’m not the only one who shares this sentiment. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is apparently also feeling the sting of our cold and selfish dating world as he has created this dystopian society where it is no longer socially acceptable to single. Under the law of The City, once you become single again, you are forced to check into The Hotel where you have 45 days to find a compatible partner or you will be turned into an animal of your choosing. And it’s at that point that you will be set off into the wild to either find a mate there or be killed in whatever manner is typical of that species.
Well once in you enter The Hotel, you’re put into all of these random Orwellian situations that are supposed to be reflective of normal every day human interactions; and in the process you’re supposed to find someone that shares a common trait with you. What you’ll soon notice however is that everyone appears to only be looking at the negative traits like a lack of empathy, uncontrollable nosebleeds, or a noticeable limp. And what makes things worse is The Hotel puts on these hilarious yet ominous skits that basically say you will die a horrible death if you’re not able to find someone within the given time period. You’ll just have to trust me when I say that much weirder stuff than this goes down in this hotel but I’ll spare you for now as I want you to experience them on your own.
Now of course there are those who choose to be alone but they are forced to live in exile in the woods with the animals. And every day they are hunted by those who live in The Hotel who happen to get an extra day added to their stay for every "loner" they catch and bring in. Again, some really weird stuff goes down in this society.
We of course experience all of this through the eyes of David (Colin Farrell) who had to enter The Hotel after his wife chose to leave him for another man. David’s robotic emotional and physical response to everything seems to embody the spirit (if I can use that term for these people) of this imaginary society. It isn’t until he and Rachel Weisz find one another that you actually start to see what we would typically consider normal behavior.
Lanthimos’s sad and frightening take on modern dating is bookended by two of the most unforgettable scenes you’ll ever experience in cinema. And in between them is a killer and haunting score that punctuates the overwhelming sense of desperation that seems to be secreting from the screen with each line that’s delivered. Oh and did I mention that this was a comedy? It’s about as dark as they come but it’s definitely meant to make you laugh in order to keep you from crying.
It’s certainly not for everyone as nothing you expect to happen actually does; and I think it’s because of this that I loved it so much. If you’re up for something different that will challenge you on multiple levels, then I strongly suggest you pop in. I give The Lobster a rating of kind of TIGHT!
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