Winner of the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes, the new film from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, ALPS) is another journey into one of his singular universes governed by absurd laws that provoke bizarre behaviour by its inhabitants. David (Colin Farrell) has just been left by his wife, which means that — as with all those in this society who are without a partner — he must report to a secluded hotel and search for a new mate amongst the other residents. If the guests fail to find a partner within 45 days, they are promptly transformed into animals and sent out into the wild. (As he likes the sea, David registers to become a lobster in case of failure to hook up.) Though David at first tries to abide by the rules, he soon becomes appalled by the hotel’s rigidly enforced regime and escapes into the woods, where he finds shelter with a band of runaways and is drawn to a fellow outcast (Rachel Weisz). Making his first English-language feature and working with a star-filled international cast — which also includes John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, and his marvellous past collaborators Ariane Labed and Angeliki Papoulia — Lanthimos not only preserves but enhances the unique mood, tone, and imaginative freedom of his previous works.

Rated: R for sexual content including dialogue, and some violence
Running Time: 118 minutes