It played in Thailand sometime last year. We loved it.
That was part of the absurd fun. It’s illegal to not be in a couple, and in real life the bizarre expectations single people sometimes have while desperately searching for a mate. There have been times when I felt like a freak for being single, and the movie has tons of fun with that.
Agreed; things really started to fall apart once he left the Hotel.
It was horrible, but necessary. I knew something like that would happen once he moved in with the Heartless Woman.
The sheer oddness of this movie appeals to me, but it seems like it could also be very depressing in my current mood. Those who’ve seen it, would you recommend it for someone who’s perpetually single?
I’ve been semi-perpetually single, am currently single and have been for far longer than I’d like.
I happen to really like looking at Rachel Weisz any chance I get and feel like every time I see her on screen she is one step closer to being my girlfriend and this feeling makes me feel warm inside.
…also, the movie really tears into the social pressure that makes people feel like they’re supposed to be in a relationship. So, you may come out of the screening feeling quite good about yourself.
Also, Rachel Weisz is very pretty and very cool and I want to invite her to my birthday party.
I’m kind of a depressed single type but it’s dark, and the humor is dark and I laughed with the movie and didn’t feel all that depressed by it. Like **bienville **said, you might even feel a little better. It’s a bit like waking up from a disturbing dream and you’re happy the real world isn’t nearly so bad.
I thought he didn’t go through with it since he had already lied to the other woman about having no feelings.
Yes. Another good movie for the perpetually single is a Korean film Time.
Single people need to be cheered up sometimes.
Just saw it today and REALLY enjoyed it. I love dark satire, especially satire that holds that mirror so dangerously close to reality. If I had to compare it to other films (and good lord, it’s nothing like the dreadful " Punch-Drunk Love"), for me it felt like a combination of "Brazil" & "Her".
• I’ve read several here comment how many feel that the film falls apart or off the rails after they leave the hotel, and as I sat in the theater during the end credits I felt the same way. But when I got home and the more I thought about it (and this is one of those films that make you think) I think the second half was just as strong as the first. It’s easy to criticize those who run the hotel or any part of this society that outlaws single people, but look what happens when the loners are left on their own in the forest. They still cling to a leader (here portrayed by Lea Seydoux) and in this case, a leader almost as, if not more so, even MORE oppressive than that of those running the hotel. I mean, is the toaster for masturbators any better or worse than the red kiss?
• As for the opening donkey scene, I think you could say that either she was shooting a transformed ex or her unfeeling runs so deep she can’t stand to see any living creature living as a couple.
• The dog scene and the final scene with David in the bathroom made me squirm and I’m not normally a person affected by movie violence at all.
• As for the ending, I love the ambiguous ending. IMO, if David truly loved her he had to go ahead with the deed. This society only allows couples with the same traits or (for want of a better word) quirks stay together. That’s why limping man faked the nose bleed and why lisping man couldn’t find anyone, since none of the current women at the hotel lisps.
Even though it took a few months, I’m so glad my local cinema finds room (at least for a week) to run a film like “The Lobster” alongside the blockbuster films.
BTW, just checked IMDB and the actress who plays Donkey Shooter is listed as Jacqueline Abrahams while Heartless Woman is played by Angeliki Papoulia (she was in “Dogtooth”)
Yeah, the first half seems premised on the whole turning into animals thing but shame on you for falling for that. You didn’t really think they would let you off that easy, did you?
How does it compare to Alps and Dogtooth? Because after watching those I’m inclined to only pay for one thing associated with that director–a lobotomy. Preferably on him but I’m good either way.
I just watched this today and loved it. The wife and kids are still on the east coast so I treated myself to a movie out by myself. So I was effectively one of the few if not the only person alone in the cinema. I’m pleased to report making it home with no species change that I’m aware of.
I watched this last week, and feel like I noticed something no one else is commenting on.
In the diner at the end, after David goes off with the steak knife, the Short-Sighted Woman makes eye contact with the waiter when he refills her glass, and turns to notice what’s going on outside the window. Doesn’t really seem like something a blind person would do, especially since she’s not bothered to try making eye contact with anyone else since being “blinded.”
Any thoughts?
A little late to the party but just caught this movie on demand and loved the freaking hell out of it. It’s not something arbitrarily in common, it’s their “defining characteristic”. That’s why Colin’s character tried to play up his hair when he was talking to the pretty blonde, and why she couldn’t find anyone, her beautiful hair was who she was and she had to be with someone like herself.
I appreciate the film for going with an absurd premise and playing it dead straight, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.
I had to email a couple of friends who I know would think they wanted to see it and warn them that it contained images they wouldn’t want to see (referring to the dog but not describing it). The blindness parts were the worst for me because that’s probably my worst fear.
But a timely bump as it was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. It kicked around festivals in 2015 but I guess the limited US release in 2016 is the one that counts.
LONER SWIMMER
Found him in the woods.
He escaped from the hotel.
LONER LEADER
Are you a doctor by any chance.
DAVID
No.
LONER LEADER
That’s a pity. We need a doctor around.
We had one but they caught him a couple of months ago.
DAVID
I’m an architect.
LONER LEADER
That’s OK.
So welcome.
You can stay with us for as long as you like.
You can be a loner until the day you die.
There is no time limit.
DAVID
Thank you very much.
LONER LEADER
By the way, any romantic or sexual relations between loners are not permitted, and any such acts are punished.
Is that clear?
DAVID
Can I have a converstion with someone?
LONER LEADER
Of course you can, so long as there is no flirting or anything like that.
That applies to dance nights as well. We all dance by ourselves.
That’s why we only play electronic music.
Fuckin’ quality right there.
The electronic music line made me laugh, too. We just saw this movie on streaming Amazon Prime a few nights ago. Loved it.
Oscar nominated for Best Original Screenplay. It’s up against LA LA LAND and MANCHESTER BY THE SEA so has no chance of winning but glad it got some recognition.
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