What’s This? Yorgos Lanthimos is Back! with “Kinds of Kindness”

These days it’s rare that a filmmaker will release films within the same year. But when directors such as Yorgos Lanthimos keep their newest films a secret, it makes it that much more exciting to learn of a brand new vision coming to theaters- and only six months after his latest film, no less. Nabbing four Oscars including Best Actress (Emma Stone), Poor Things was a rousing success for Lanthimos. He is now releasing a new film, Kinds of Kindness, with some returning actors Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Maragret Qualley. Also joining the cast is Jesse Plemmons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schaffer, among others. Just what can be expected from this new film? Join me as we glimpse into the shocking mind of one of this generation’s most idiosyncratic directors.

What Could it Be?

This teaser trailer gives brief glimpses into the film, flashing a variety of characters and sequences that currently make no sense. What is clear is that the film is sure to be a beautiful mosaic of absurdist Drama and Comedy. Actress Hong Chau stated that the film tells three different stories and that each cast member plays three different characters. So, ok, wow! We get three new stories from the mind of Lanthimos and three new performances from some of the finest actors the screen has ever seen! Anyone else feeling overwhelmed?

From what little is shown in the trailer, it’s classic Lanthimos: dark, funny, and beautifully shot. It also promises to be a rousing and intense time, as Eurythmics’ classic pop song Sweet Dreams plays over snippets of action we are shown as the cast is introduced beat by beat. There is dancing, driving, body-dragging, slapping, swimming, and yelling seen from a variety of characters. We’re also shown shreds of random objects, such as a fresh orange being squeezed or a dog looking at the camera, that just tickles the eyeballs. In order to really try and predict what may be under this flashy surface, we must first look back at what Yorgos has done before.

Dogtooth

Dogtooth is an earlier film that really put Lanthimos on the map, and goes to show how far he’s come. His second feature is a Greek film about a family that is kept as prisoners on a compound by a sadistic Patriarch. This father character keeps his family in line through the use of strange rules and brutal violence. Like all of Lanthimos’ films, it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. Out of the selection that I’ve seen, this is by far his hardest film to watch, but it’s darkly clever. The bizarre scenes of sex, violence, and goofy games make an uncomfortable yet acute satire of patriarchy. Dogtooth also tips its hat to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. 

The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Lobster is a wonderfully dark Dystopian-Romance, and is much “lighter” when compared to the biting Dogtooth. This film marks a large jump in style for Lanthimos, as he went from Greek actors to a predominantly English speaking cast (Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly). The film is another satire: one of relationships and Love. Colin Farrell plays the protagonist, David, who approaches an important time in his life. In this film’s universe, people are sent to a hotel to find a partner. If unable to find a proper soul mate after forty five days, they are forced to turn into an animal of their choice. It’s simply amazing. 

Lanthimos must be a great director to work with, as Colin Farell came back as the lead in his follow up, The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Next to this film, The Lobster looks like a cuddly Rom-Com, which is really saying something. Here Lanthimos was going for a highly psychological horror/thriller, and he really hit it out of the park. It also stars one of cinema’s newest sweethearts, Barry Keoghan. Keoghan plays an evil young man who wreaks havoc on Colin Farrell’s life, terrorizing his family in a very peculiar way. It’s a gross, cringeworthy, yet somehow hilarious horror film that keeps you guessing as it goes, and boy does it leave a mark. 

The Sensation that is Poor Things

The most recent showcase from Lanthimos is his most deliciously ambitious and outwardly absurd film, an adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel. It boasts a ridiculously talented cast that tackles an insane premise. It also creates some of the most gorgeous visuals seen in film in years. Stone’s performance gained her yet another Oscar, with the film also receiving eleven total nominations, as well as an abundance of critical praise. It’s a glorious Fairy Tale that wrestles with everything Lanthimos has critiqued before and more. It also leaves one to wonder at just what else there is for this Auteur to unpack in his new film.

So, what’s it all about?

Ready for the punchline? I simply have no idea what Kinds of Kindness is going to be about, and I love that. By avoiding all of the trailers for Poor Things, it made the watching experience much more rewarding. There is nothing as exciting as a new film you know very little about. Whatever the plot may be, I am sure that it’s a twisted, goofy, uncomfortable, and unforgettable fable- Lanthimos’ trademark style. Kinds of Kindness comes out in theaters on June 21st.