Archive of films Lobster / The Lobster

Ireland / United Kingdom / France / Greece / Netherlands
2015, 118 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2015

The near future: all men and women without partners are rounded up and taken to a hotel where they must find a counterpart within 45 days. If they don’t succeed they’ll be changed into an animal of their choice. Three men who become friends at the hotel escape into the woods, joining up with a rebellious group called The Loners. The black humor of this absurd drama earned the film a Jury Prize at Cannes 2015.

Synopsis

The future doesn’t appreciate single people: all men and women without a partner are rounded up and taken to the Hotel, where they have 45 days to find a matching mate. Whoever fails will be transformed into an animal of his or her choice and exiled to the Woods. Rebels live there who call themselves the Loners, and sometimes hunts are organized to go after them. Participating in these hunts along with the others is one of the rituals that the reluctant Hotel guests have to face. Resigned to his own fate, David (Colin Farrell) is taken off to the Hotel. His one consolation is his dog, which he’s allowed to have in his room, but he doesn’t suspect that it won’t be for long. The boundless imagination of the Greek director and his screenwriter allows David to taste freedom among the forest rebels, to finally find love, and to discover in the end that he is still no better off. As in his previous films, Yorgos Lanthimos layers the comically absurd situations with characteristic irony and black humor, relating a story, however unrealistic it may seem, that is not entirely divorced from the present.

Eva Zaoralová (2012)

About the director

Yorgos Lanthimos (b. 1973, Athens) graduated in film and television direction from Stavrakos Hellenic Cinema and Television School in Athens. Since 1995 he has directed shorts (Uranisco Disco, 2001), features, plays, music videos, and television commercials. He was also part of Dimitris Papaioanno’s creative team, the group behind the opening and closing ceremonies of Athens’ 2004 Olympic Games. His first feature Kinetta (2005) premiered at the Toronto IFF. His second, Dogtooth (Kynodontas, 2009 – Young Greek Cinema at KVIFF 2011), premiered at Cannes, where it won the Un Certain Regard Award. The picture was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd American Academy Awards. Alps (Alpeis, 2011) was awarded a Golden Osella for Best Screenplay at the Venice IFF. The Lobster also scored a major award, the Jury Prize at Cannes.

Contacts

Protagonist Pictures
48-48 Great Portland Stcy, W1W 7NB, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 734 9000
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.protagonistpictures.com

Falcon a.s.
Radlická 1c/3185, 150 00, Praha 5
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 224 422 222
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.falcon.cz

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Yorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay:	Yorgos Lanthimos, Eefthimis Filippou
Dir. of Photography:	Thimios Bakatakis
Editor:	Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Art Director:	Jacqueline Abrahams
Producer:	Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey, Yorgos Lanthimos
Production:	Element Pictures, Scarlet Films
Coproduction:	Haut et Court, Faliro House Productions, Lemming Film
Cast:	Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux, John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw
Sales:	Protagonist Pictures
Distributor:	Falcon a.s.

Guests

George Hamilton

Sales Agent

Svatava Peschková

Distributor