Kinds of Kindness (2024)

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

New film by Lanthimos, starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons.

Didn't know what to expect going in, but have seen all of the director's previous movies (Poor Things, The Favourite, The Lobster, etc). 

He's offbeat, creative and a risk-taker.

This film was split into three wholly separate 45 min vignettes.  Some were straight absurdist, while others had a twinge of horror plot.  The one thing they all shared in common was the theme of control and how we deal with it.

While a little long (at just under 3 hours), it's fascinating.  Not for all audiences, but if you're willing to roll with a lot of nudity and some blood, it's a truly interesting movie with solid performances.

Edited July 4 by BenjaminNicholas

[Manhattan]

Just saw it today. I usually find Lanthimos's films interesting, but this one left me cold. My friends and I left the theater with the feeling that we were supposed to be thinking about something, but we couldn't figure out what that thing was. 
 

The score is heavy handed (sometimes literally) and his coyness about homosexuality is pretty lame. Men kiss and flirt, but Lanthimos always finds a reason to avert our gaze before they consummate the act.  That's his prerogative, but focusing women's titties is hardly the sort of edginess I expect to see in 2024. 
 

The director's cameo in the movie strike me as self-indulgent. It's a role that he could have given to an actor. An actor who could use the work to help earn their SAG health insurance. 
 

On the other hand, the lead performances are all very good and it's shot beautifully.