Movie Review: "The Lobster" at the UICA

As a film coordinator, I spend a lot of time watching and studying the best independent cinema available and I’m usually presented with 
the same old traditional three-act-structured narrative. Whether it’s drama, comedy, horror, etc., it’s been a while since I’ve seen something that really stood out, but after screening "The Lobster" I was extremely pleased. This film is one that really stuck with me and for a number of reasons. "The Lobster" is story telling at its finest; it’s exciting; it’s odd, and most importantly, it’s original.

The film follows David (Colin Farrell) whose wife recently left him. To make matters worse, David lives in a dystopian society where people have 45 days to find a mate and if they fail, they are turned into an animal of their choosing and are released into the forest. In order to find a new mate and avoid therianthropy, David is sent to a resort that’s filled with people who share the same looming fate. Upon arrival, and with no romantic prospects in sight, David chooses to change into a lobster, a creature that is known to mate for life.

After several failed dates, David comes to realize that this is no longer the life for him and makes a decision to escape from society to become part of the Loners, a group of people that lives on the outskirts of
town, and who refuse to live by society’s rigid expectations of what relationships should be. Upon joining the group, David is instructed that he is not to fall in love with anyone and must remain alone. David agrees, but this understanding doesn’t last long. David ends up coming across a mysterious woman (Rachel Weisz) and a romance begins to blossom. David and the mysterious woman fall for one another and become renegades who are forced to hide from society and the Loners.

Not only is "The Lobster" unique, it’s also well-acted and crafted and is a brilliant satire poking fun at conventional relationships and the idea that we should marry, bear children, have a good job, and follow society’s rules in order to be happy. If you’re looking for something original and appreciate a good story, then I can’t recommend "The Lobster" enough.

Interested in participating in UICA’s movie reviews? Contact Nick Hartman at [email protected].

The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is your city's center for independent movies, documentaries, foreign films and locally and regionally produced cinema. The UICA Movie Theater shows movies in downtown Grand Rapids Tuesday–Sunday year round and now, we’re proud to partner with The Rapidian to keep you up-to-date about the films we’re bringing to our community. Tune in each month to learn more about the films coming to UICA from Nick Hartman, UICA Film Coordinator and local filmmakers, and to get the inside scoop about film-focused events happening at The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts.