The Lobster is such a great film to piss off an audience.
“The Lobster” is a seemingly dystopian tale about finding love. The world of “The Lobster” exists where an oppressive government forces lonely singles to visit The Hotel. Visitors have 45 days to find love or they’ll be turned into an animal of their choice. Colin Farrell arrives with his brother (who was turned into a dog prior to the film), as he is forced to find love. Falling somewhere between self-defeating and lovelorn, Farrell puts forth an admirable effort.
All guests are defined by one attribute of their existence and that aspect is hammered against them. John C. Reilly lisps, Ben Whishaw seems physically broken down and Rachel Weisz is a slightly lesser version of Weisz. If you don’t give into the demands of the Hotel, you can escape and live among those outside of society. However, those people don’t want anyone to express any emotion to each other. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Much has been read into its ending and I’m not going to push any viewers in one direction. However, Weisz and Farrell meeting back up isn’t meant to be perfect. What the finale hinges is on is the ability to alter one’s self to fit the perceptions of another person. Under what authority does another screwed up person have to impose their will on you? This isn’t an easy film, but an insanely fascinating one.