The Lobster

### Brief Synopsis I had previously seen a few good reviews for The Lobster, so when I saw it on Netflix the other night I decided to check it out.. The Lobster is set in a dystopian future where single people are required to find a partner within 45 days, otherwise they risk being turned into an animal of their choosing. Recently divorced David (Colin Farrell) is sent to a strange hotel to find a suitable partner and avoid this fate. Yeah, its a weird one! ### [Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR_NcqD-Gfs) ### The Good The acting is up to a pretty high standard. Farrell is excellent as the awkward David and has brilliant comedic timing. Despite the films use of flat, emotionless dialogue, Farrell is still able to come across as likeable. He is backed up well by a cast that includes Rachael Weisz, John C. Reilly and Olivia Coleman. The supporting cast also do well to make the hotel scenes feel realistic and Farrell plays off them well to create some of the films best scenes. The music is used very effectively, and adds greatly to the tension and drama of several scenes. The depressing soundtrack suits the film very well. The occasional narration by Weisz is also well done, and provides a lot of humour. The Lobster is a good satire of modern relationships and makes some profound points in its own absurdist way. Its systematic dismantling of social norms and pressures and taking them to their extremes is very entertaining. It is an interesting take on love and is a lot more insightful than your average rom-com. ### The Mediocre The Lobster has a very dark sense of humour, one which I feel would be quite hit or miss with audiences. I didn't find the film laugh out loud funny, however there are several really good comedic scenes. I would have liked to have seen a few more, which would have helped to break up the slower periods in the film. At stages, I feel that this films tries to be a little too profound and can sometimes miss the mark. The ending especially tries to make a specific point, however in my opinion it falls short of actually saying its message and ends the film on a rather flat note. There are a couple of scenes that are very uncomfortable to watch and are quite disturbing. While they are accompanied by humour, these scenes will definitely be too much for some people. The world created in The Lobster is certainly an interesting one. Its absurd nature leaves you wanting to know more about the strange society in which the film is set. However, it is not used to its full potential. A lot more could have been done with the concept and the expansion of the films initial good ideas is hampered by the second act. ### The Bad The film is not the prettiest to look at. While fitting for the films themes, the dull, grey alongside the flat and emotionless delivery of lines can get quite tedious at times. The films slow pace also makes the film feel a lot longer than it is. The film falls off quite significantly in the second act of the film. The pacing is very different to the first act and the difference is almost jarring. You are taken from an interesting and intriguing situation to one which does very little for world building and greatly limits the scope of this dystopian future. Its almost as if the second act is trying to be too weird. While it does provide some nice character moments, it became a bit too random and a bit too bizarre. By the time it came to the final scene, I had begun to lose interest. Along with the lack of humour found in the first half of the film, the second act is very disappointing and comes across as flat. ### Rating Rotten Tomatoes: 89 Rob's Rating: 72 The Lobster gets a lot of things right, and while it can be a little hard to get into, it provides a unique and interesting cinematic experience. However, the second act badly lets it down.