THE LOBSTER (2015)

1/10/2016 - The Lobster(2015) - 5+/6-/10

Bizarre. Moments of humor buttressed by a sullen dread. The on-the-nose metaphors and social critique are interesting and enjoyable, but grow stale over the length. Can't decide if I like it more or less than Dogtooth, but it is definitely of a piece.

I appreciate what he tries to do with his films, I just don't think they are for me. There is something there keeping me at arm's length. Not too weird, but maybe too cynical and dark - to the point where my enjoyment and appreciation become strained. His human condition is something I can sense, but find hard to empathize with.

There were solid parts that kept me on the fence. I liked the actors, but they were stripped of (or super charged?) their humanity. The "kid" bit was funny. The deadpan nature of these neo-society slaves was smart. The nigh autistic disconnect of the human interactions and the hunt for the loners. All quite wry. But there was too much salt in this caramel.