The Lobster

In a society where being single is illegal, a divorced man (Colin Farrell) must find a new mate; if he fails, he’ll be turned into an animal (his choice, if need be, is to become a lobster). Written by Efthymis Filippou and director Yorgos Lanthimos (working for the first time in English), the movie alternates between long stretches of numbing tedium and moments of wanton cruelty—usually to animals but sometimes to people. Is this a cruel society or just a cruel movie? There are all the earmarks of mordant satire except the one a satire must have—a lively wit. Liveliness is the last thing on this movie’s mind. Its characters are merely single defining characteristics rather than real people; they have nothing, and hence nothing to lose. And as for wit—without that, satire is just meanness. J.L.