The Lobster

Comedy/Drama, Netherlands/Greece 2015

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A sophisticated, cruel and absurd comedy, where the Greek filmmaker sketches a satire of couples and love bordering on the fantastic (Télérama)

In the near future... Anyone who is single is arrested, taken to the Hotel, and given 45 days to find their soul mate. After that time, they will be transformed into the animal of their choice. To escape this fate, a man flees and joins a group of resistance fighters in the woods: the Solitaires. With The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos imagines a biting dystopia that pushes social pressures surrounding relationships and conformity to the extreme. Starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, the film blends dark humor, offbeat romance, and political commentary. Behind its strange world and deliberately detached acting, Lanthimos constructs a scathing fable about the social norms that govern our emotional lives. Beyond its unique premise, The Lobster explores major themes: the pressure to be in a relationship, the fear of loneliness, the control exerted by institutions over bodies and feelings, and the difficulty of loving freely. The film shows that the obligation to conform can be as violent as isolation, contrasting two extreme systems where the individual struggles to find their place. With its stark aesthetic, absurdist humor, and understated cruelty, The Lobster transforms an unlikely love story into a profound reflection on freedom, identity, and social conventions. A film as unsettling as it is brilliant, winner of the Jury Prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
119 min
HD
5.1
Starting at 17
Audio language:
EnglishFrench
Subtitles:
DutchFrench

Awards

Cannes Film Festival 2015 Jury Prize Jury Prize Palm Dog
British Independent Film Awards 2015 Best Supporting Actress Olivia Colman
European Film Awards 2015 Best European Screenwriter Best European Costume Designer

More information

Composer:

Amy Ashworth

Sound Design:

Johnnie Burn

Cast:

Colin Farrell (David)

Rachel Weisz (Short Sighted Woman)

Olivia Colman (Hotel Manager)

Léa Seydoux (Loner Leader)

Michael Smiley (Loner Swimmer)

Ariane Labed (The Maid)

John C. Reilly (Lisping Man)

Ben Whishaw (Limping Man)

Angeliki Papoulia (Heartless Woman)

Jessica Barden (Nosebleed Woman)

Original title:

The Lobster

Original language:

English

Further titles:

A homár

A Lagosta

O Lagosta

The Lobster: Hummer sind auch nur Menschen

Лобстер

ロブスター

Format:

1.85:1 HD, Color, 5.1

Age rating:

Starting at 17 (Sex & Nudity, Violence & Blood, Profanity, Frightening & Intense Scenes)

Audio language:

EnglishFrench

Subtitles:

DutchFrench