On The Lobster

As unusual cinema goes, The Lobster is reaching the top of the scale. Like Spike Jonze’s Her (2013), The Lobster imagines a future that goes beyond online dating. Here, that future is a point where single life is illegal and should it happen you have two options: go on the run with outlaws who impose the single life, or become resident at a hotel where you have 45 days to find a partner, or get turned into an animal of your choosing. What else explains why there are so many cats and dogs?

The rest is best left to discover, as The Lobster is full of subtle treats and slapstick comedy. The social commentary is at times sharp, reasoning on the future of relationships where we reduce ourselves to hobbies and interests online. This impersonal approach is reflected in the deadpan delivery from all the actors, commenting on how they are nothing more than their shared interests, such as both being short sighted.

The Lobster can be split into two halves: what happens in the hotel and what happens outside. The first half is regularly very funny and works very nicely. The mise en scene is controlled and mirrors the story and the narrative feels like it knows where it is going. The second half is more fragmented, either losing its focus, or purposely choosing more abstract ideas that miss more than they hit. There remain some strong ideas and incisive comedy, but it takes a darker turn without coming up high again, leaving an audience wanting, especially after the levity of the hotel scenes. Sure, the subtext is always dark, but striking a balance is important.

Despite the weaker second half, there is enough ingenuity and humour in The Lobster as well as originality in what is becoming an increasing homogenous multiplex to make it worth paying for.