Double Movie Review - The Lobster + Poor Things

 

So I have had a look at many films by new and upcoming directors, but I feel it's time I gave another person I'm not too familiar with, a chance and that person is Yorgos Lanthimos. A man known for being similar to Wes Anderson with his deadpan acting, but unlike Anderson, has a few more twists and turns to make his work stand out as well as various themes too. All of which could be considered borderline A24. So at the request of one of my best friends, I am reviewing two of his most critically acclaimed films and see if he is a guy that I will follow the work of going forward. Let's go:

The Lobster

David (played by Colin Farrell) becomes a new singleton and is forced to check himself into a rather unusual hotel. This hotel, tasks everyone to try and find a partner within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choice. Accompanied by his "brother" Bob (who is a dog), David is set on becoming a lobster, should he fail. Making friends, allies and various discoveries and more along the way with a cast that also includes Olivia Colman, John C. Riley, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux and Ben Whishaw. The film is interesting for sure. It explores the concept of love and the consequences of not finding such in some kind of institution. The actors play their parts well and even though it may not be as stand out as Wes Anderson's work on the world of deadpan acting, it does well as an arthouse film, which I'm guessing is what Yorgos is aiming for in his work. 9/10

Poor Things

So onto his latest film, which has already been receiving many awards and more recognition in the pipeline. Set in a quite bizzare looking Victorian era London (to begin with), Godwin Baxter (played by Willem Dafoe) decides to recruit medical student Max McCandles (played by Ramy Youssef) to be his assistant. Bringing him into his world, Godwin introduces Max to his ward, an adult woman with the mind of a baby who he calls Bella (played by Emma Stone). As Bella's mind progresses and becomes more curious of the world, she soon decides to leave Godwin to explore the world and maybe do some unusual things in the process. So this same best friend, actually watched this many months ago at a local film festival and has been rubbing it in my face ever since. But nevertheless, him raving about the film was right because this is actually a great film from Yorgos. It's quirky, weird, has interesting angles and is full of some pretty messed up stuff that reminds me of Frankienstien's monster and those films where sex is the driving force of them (but not quite considered porn). Very risqué, but a good study into the world of people that have childlike brains that give them a sense of wonder and curiosity. 9/10

After those two films, I can definitely say that Yorgos Lanthimos will be one filmmaker that I will continue watching the work of. I look forward to seeing what he makes next.