Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Yorgos Stefanakos, Mamoudou Athie

You may or may not have heard the name Yorgos Lanthimos, but you will likely have heard of at least one of his films, mainly thanks to the absurdist nature of his creativity and thus the chatter that surrounds the films. From his first real success with Dogtooth in 2009, to the late 2010s when we were bestowed with The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Favourite, Lanthimos has continuously sent his audiences on wild rides through familiar themes in incredibly unfamiliar, yet entertaining, settings, making a name for himself with a minimal filmography. Last year, he hit the spot once again with Poor Things, and now, lucky us, we already have another of Lanthimos’s bizarre yet thought provoking works to ponder over. Does Kinds of Kindness follow the Greek director’s tried-and-true style of filmmaking, or has he begun to slip from slight madness into pure unadulterated insanity?

Framed as a “triptych” anthology, Kinds of Kindess showcases three tales seemingly connected by one character who goes by the initials R.M.F. The first is a story of a Robert (Plemons) whose life is entirely controlled by his boss, Raymond (Dafoe), down to the minute. That is, until Raymond asks too much of Robert, and things begin to unravel. The second is the story of a police officer Daniel (Plemons) whose wife Liz (Stone) goes missing, but when she miraculously shows up, Daniel is suspicious that the woman who returned is not his wife. Last is the story of a sex cult that are on the search for a woman who can bring back the dead, and it is a mission taken very seriously by one cult member, Emily (Stone), to the point that she has estranged herself from her husband Joseph (Alwyn) and their daughter.

To cut to the chase already, Lanthimos has indeed once again delivered a shocking, darkly comedic and somewhat misanthropic film that pushes the audience’s comfort zone to its limits. One moment things seem normal, and then BAM, a character says or does something completely out of left field to throw off any sense of normality. In spite of all three being standalone episodes of sorts, themes including fantasies/dreams, relationships (whether they be romantic, friendly or professional) and beliefs glue them together, along with the mysterious R.M.F character. The stories grow more intriguing as the film goes on, building at a good pace with interesting twists and turns rather than being repetitive and/or slow. One minute you’ll be laughing, the next you’ll be disgusted, and after that, horrified. What’s most interesting is that Lanthimos, along with co-writer Filippou, writes stories and characters that delve into the darkest reaches of the human condition and pull out things normal people wouldn’t dare to talk about, let alone act out in reality.

Part of the success of Kinds of Kindness must come down to Lanthimos’s collaboration with people who have worked on his films before, including composer Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things), cinematographer Robbie Ryan (Poor Things, The Favourite) editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis (working on almost everything Lanthimos has made), and of course writer Efthimis Filippou (Nimic, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster, Alps, Dogtooth). It is a proven collaboration that produces films with scores that are often subtle yet effective; camera angles and framing that are aesthetically pleasing most of the time yet other times jarring, to the point of being off-putting if they were in any other setting; and editing that keeps the pacing of each scene perfect and yet brings that feeling of discomfort when necessary. It’s probably fair to say that this kind of filmmaking will not be to everyone’s taste, and that’s fine, but if it’s something you can get on board with, you may find yourself coming back to reality with a satisfying “thank god that’s not my life” bump at the end.

Continuing with the theme of collaboration, Lanthimos has once again entrusted his work to actors he clearly trusts and enjoys working with (and vice versa), namely Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn. Stone’s roles are slightly more subdued in this film than in Poor Things and The Favourite, but they are no less peculiar and her performances are no less spot on. She appears to have found a niche with Lanthimos, and in Kinds of Kindness particularly, she can really dig her teeth into some unique roles. Likewise, Dafoe has always been something of an outlier in Hollywood, taking on roles that he can, like Stone, really get into and that go against the grain, and he is always the standout within Lanthimos’s films, with Kinds of Kindness being no exception. Dafoe’s performances almost reflect the film’s score, in that both are understated yet scene-stealing. Plemons also makes his mark in the film, as he and Stone sort of alternate the lead roles (with the second “episode” acting like a handover in between). His performances are sturdy and grounded, often providing a good juxtaposition to the madness that usually accompanies Stone’s characters. Qualley gives great performances in her supporting roles, and Alwyn is minimal in his screen time, his characters often unnecessary until perhaps the third episode when he finally gets to shine a little bit (if that’s the right way to describe his performance of a disturbing character).

Personally, it’s always a treat to hear that Lanthimos has another project in the works, and so it was exciting to find out that Kinds of Kindness was releasing hot on the heels of Poor Things. Even more so to find that Lanthimos has lost none of his quirky spark that makes his films exceptional and always a must-watch. A great addition to his filmography, and I only hope Lanthimos continues to grow his work with more eccentric and entertaining films. Lanthimos’s next film, Bulgonia, is slated for 2025, with Plemons and Stone (of course) apparently confirmed to star. I for one am anticipating it highly, with the premise being particularly intriguing.

Please take a moment to appreciate some of the artwork for the movie posters below.