The Lobster : A methaphorical concept oozes uncontrollably out of bounds

Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek mastermind,  is a fantastic visualizer, He has stepped out of zone where the mainstreams directors have comfortably rooted their feet in and created a dystopian world where being a loner is perceived as an awful crime. Loners are taken to a hotel where they have to find a partner within 45 days, failing to do so will result them in being turned into an animal. His fecund brain has taken us unpredictably to places we cannot imagine. However, this fantasized dramatic world possibly oozes out of bounds in the latter interim and that is where my problem as a viewer starts.

The Lobster begins with David (Colin Farell) being betrayed and cheated on by his wife. A bespectacled, thick mustached man, devoid of emotion, his speech and his blank look overly reflects the same. He doesn't cry, he doesn't smile. He is a whimsical and quirky in front of this tyrannical absurdist backdrop. He, along with his collie-turned-brother, is taken to the hotel to find a partner for himself. With the narrative of Rachel Weisz, this film assimilates the viewer and keeps him wide-eyed gripped to the marvelous plotline.

The canvas is ready and you see the characters flooring it with their eccentric behavior and the vital additions to set the screenplay going. There is group of people who throw a degrading glance at the loners and there are rebels who oppose this very idea of forced relationships. 45 days before one is transfigured into a beast can be extended if one tranquilizes the loners who have escaped into the forests. Amidst all this satirical madness, David ,too like some, escape into the woods to meet up with radical group led by Lea Seydoux. The radicals think exact opposite of the Hotel consider singlehood as an ornament to be worn with dignity and relationships as a blemish. The first half ends and that is when monotony begins symbolizing that director possibly ran short of ideas.

As a viewer and lover of satires, I always wanted to know what happens to David after 45 days. I always imagined the hotel to be the reference point to the entire story and not David. However, profuse exaggeration and predictable cliches formed the foundation of the second interim and what formed my sheer discontent. The characters speak with sheer lack of expression  and you begin to think ' Will the future actually end up being so colourless?' Rachel Weiz, whose narrative was the strong foothold since beginning of film, is brilliant in her own ways and gave a terrific performance; my favourite apart from Lea Seydoux.


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