Kinds of Kindness review

KINDS OF KINDNESS: 

YORGOS LANTHIMOS’ COMPLETELY INSANE ANTHOLOGY FILM! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Emma Stone in Kinds of Kindness

 

            Director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things) strikes again with his latest film, Kinds of Kindness, an absurdist black-comedy anthology film split across three stories that all feature the same actors. Despite only having seen a few of his movies, Yorgos Lanthimos is quickly becoming a favorite director of mine with Poor Things being among my favorite films of 2023. 

            I love Yorgos’ methods of storytelling and how his works are very unconventional, bizarre, and filled with dark humor. His films are definitely an acquired taste, but in an age where a lot of mainstream Hollywood productions feel manufactured and safe, it’s a breath of fresh air to see a film that goes to weird territories and does it successfully because it’s a huge risk. 

            Obviously, I wasn’t going to miss his latest film especially after learning that it was going to be an anthology film similar to New York Stories, Twilight Zone: The Movie, and the film adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Yep, this is definitely a Yorgos Lanthimos anthology movie because this film is goddamn nuts and I love it because of that. 

            This is also one of those movies where coming out of it, I didn’t know what to make of it because it was so odd and structured in a strange way. So, I will do my best to attempt to describe this film. 

            The film is split between three distinct but loosely connected stories, The Death of R.M.F., R.M.F. is Flying, and R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich and follows characters portrayed by Emma Stone (Zombieland 1 and 2, La La Land, The Favourite), Jesse Plemons (Black Mass, The Power of the Dog, Killers of the Flower Moon), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The Lighthouse, Nosferatu), and Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu, Asteroid City) with different names in each story. The first story follows a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life. 

            The second is about a police officer whose wife was missing at sea has returned but seems to be an entirely different person. Finally, the third story follows a woman who is determined to find a specific person with a special ability and is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. 

            The film also stars Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Poor Things, Drive-Away Dolls), Joe Alwyn (Boy Erased, Mary, Queen of Scots, Harriet), and Mamoudou Athie (Patti Cake$, Jurassic World: Dominion, The Boy and the Heron). 

            Overall, Kinds of Kindness should only be viewed if you’re familiar with Yorgos Lanthimos and his filmmaking style because if you’re just going into this blindly with no knowledge of the director you probably won’t like this movie in the end because of how surreal and unconventional it is. It’s a very complex and challenging movie to the point where even I didn’t always understand where the film was going at random times. 

            When I came into the movie, I forgot it was an anthology film so when credits suddenly appeared like 40 or 50 minutes into the film it was a little jarring but it led to a hilarious story afterwards. Even when the movie actually did end, it genuinely surprised me at the note it ended on and how somewhat abrupt it was. 

            All the acting is top notch especially a scene-stealing Jesse Plemons, but everyone sort of has this weird, robotic way of speaking which seems very intentional to heighten the unusualness of the situations and to imply that there’s something off about this film’s world (or worlds). 

            The three stories essentially revolve around someone going to very extreme and dark lengths to be accepted and admired by people you are devoted to. Sometimes they’re forced into doing something, other times they do it willingly and there are certainly some decisions made that are difficult to grasp or understand which will lead to several interesting conversations and debates amongst moviegoers in the theater lobby after it ends. 

            That’s really the kind of movie this is, a director’s weird and crazy vision brought to the screen that not everyone will have the same reactions to but will be discussed in great detail afterwards. It isn’t pandering to the audience nor is it trying to be a cinematic groundbreaker, it’s Yorgos Lanthimos’ vision for this film and you take it for what it is. 

            Also, false advertising I came into a movie called Kinds of Kindness and I didn’t see any “Kindness” on the screen during my viewing, I want my money back, Lanthimos you sick, pretentious bastard!