As a film enthusiast with a penchant for the darker, more peculiar corners of cinema, I find Yorgos Lanthimos to be a truly captivating director. His work, with its eerie and unsettling portrayal of human dynamics, has always intrigued me. The way he delves into the complexities of group activities that blur the lines between submission and control is nothing short of mesmerizing.
In the preceding year, Yorgos Lanthimos helmed a unique dark comedy titled “Poor Things.” The story centers around Bella, a character crafted from an adult’s body and a fetus’ brain through procedures reminiscent of Frankenstein. Bella embarks on a journey of self-discovery and fulfillment, traversing a surreal Europe. This production marked Lanthimos’ most approachable work to date, reflecting more on his diverse filmography as a whole than on the movie itself
In a unique blend of dark comedy and social critique, Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his films that portray worlds eerily similar yet distinctly off-kilter from our own, filled with characters grappling with unyielding, often harsh traditions. This style is evident in his latest work, “Poor Things“. However, what sets it apart is the character of Bella, played by Emma Stone, who defies the constraints imposed upon her and hastens her transformation from a child to a woman in the world, rather than conforming to the expected norms. Remarkably, Lanthimos has crafted a narrative that not only challenges societal expectations but also stirs up debates on social media, offering an unexpected element of empowerment amidst his typically polarizing content
The candid nature of the sexual material – starting with Bella’s innocent self-exploration, escalating to her passionate ‘furious jumping’ scenes with a charismatic lawyer character portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, and culminating in her work at a Parisian brothel – sparked debates about the extent to which Poor Things is influenced by the male perspective. It appeared that the filmmaker was the only one unwilling to join the discussion on the film’s feminist stance, much like someone hesitant to label a casual acquaintance as their boyfriend when they were only thinking of them as such
Observing Lanthimos gain widespread acclaim through one of his least typical and arguably weaker films is similar to witnessing a friend suddenly become an internet sensation, with their actions under intense scrutiny due to a specific perspective. Lanthimos is multifaceted – he’s a prominent absurdist, a debatable nihilist, sometimes provocative, and an artist who has managed to retain a distinctly European sensibility despite working in English with Hollywood actors since 2015. His films have a deep-rooted quality that mirrors the thoughts of an insomniac, and they are so noticeably off-balance that the Greek Weird Wave, the movement he’s linked to, seems less like a fleeting trend in national cinema and more like a reflection of his unique style seeping into some of his contemporaries. If he identifies as a feminist – which there’s no reason to doubt, despite the somewhat superficial feel of Bella’s journey in ‘Poor Things’ that lacks a strong sense of conviction – it has felt incidental until now
The themes in his work often explore the impact of power dynamics and gender on abuse and sexual violence, and his films offer their own distorted reflections of patriarchy. However, he doesn’t discriminate when portraying the suffering of his characters, as both men and women are subjected to degradation. The most intriguing aspect of these films spans from the brilliant, such as Dogtooth and The Favourite, to the puzzlingly obscure, like Kinetta and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. This complexity is primarily due to the detached, almost pleasure-seeking gaze of the director. He dissects his characters with a cold precision, much like pinning butterflies to a corkboard, and it’s sometimes unclear whether this is done for a higher purpose or merely to provoke. His recent work, Kinds of Kindness, a sequel to Poor Things, revisits the director’s main interest: control. Specifically, he delves into what motivates people to comply, how they awkwardly adapt to predefined roles, and why they may willingly submit to others’ authority even when it leads to their own harm
The film anthology, recently screened at Cannes this year, comprises a set of three enigmatic tales filled with manipulation, substance abuse, violence, and self-harm. In the initial segment, Jesse Plemons portrays a man who meticulously orchestrates every aspect of his life – from his wardrobe to his home, spouse, and family size (he secretly gives his wife an abortive agent to maintain their childless state) – under the control of his boss (Willem Dafoe). In the second installment, Plemons is a police officer who puts a woman (Stone) claiming to be his missing wife through a series of increasingly intense tests to prove her authenticity. The cast, which includes Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, Hong Chau, and Margaret Qualley, recur across each part. In the concluding storyline, Stone is part of a cult where members vow sexual loyalty to its leaders and are seeking a messiah – a role that requires the ability to resurrect the dead but also maintaining the correct nipple-to-nipple distance. Director Lanthimos has gained recognition among American audiences, but “Kinds of Kindness” evokes his earlier, less accessible work, which is in Greek and explores the intricate relationships within mysterious groups engaged in peculiar group activities that involve submitting oneself to someone else’s caprices
In the 2005 film debut, “Kinetta“, by Lanthimos, there’s an obsessive police officer who insists on guiding a hotel maid and a photoshop clerk through reenactments of violent crimes. Despite their apparent misery, they continually return to this project. Similarly, in his 2011 film “Alps“, Lanthimos presents a cult-like group who mimic the deceased for the bereaved, wearing their clothes and repeating past conversations. This role, played by Angeliki Papoulia, one of Lanthimos’s favorite non-American leading ladies, becomes dangerously engrossed in this service. These aren’t movies about people discovering themselves after overcoming limitations; instead, they portray characters with a tenuous sense of self who submit to being told what to do because they don’t know any other way
It’s reasonable to consider that Yorgos Lanthimos’s movies are intended to be perceived as comedies, including “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” from 2017 which takes on the form of a thriller when family members discover they must sacrifice one of their own. However, he is not a filmmaker who exudes warmth, and this could be due to the peculiarities of the roles his characters play. These roles often resemble filmmaking with someone in control and others acting out parts. Lanthimos’s characters are consistently stiff, childish, and somewhat alien, serving to maintain a distance between them and the audience rather than to elicit sympathy. This distance becomes particularly important as it allows viewers to handle his films’ frequent forays into degradation more easily
In the 2009 movie Dogtooth, one particularly intense scene stands out as it centers entirely around the robotic actions of its characters. The actor Papoulia, portraying one of three adult siblings raised in a secluded and limited environment, is directed to engage in a sexual act with her brother, an act mandated by their parents who have concocted a fear-based narrative about the outside world but are themselves comfortable with the notion that men have certain desires that must be satisfied. Lanthimos films this encounter in a series of straightforward, stationary shots that offer no secrets and culminates at the end with a close-up of Papoulia’s character in profile, her brother only visible in the mirror’s reflection as he moves above her, her face distorted involuntarily. This framing is mirrored in another scene from Kinds of Kindness, where one of Stone’s characters is drugged and then raped, her head shaking as her unconscious body is assaulted by someone off-screen. Although these scenes are not ones typically celebrated as feminist, it’s not their exploitative feel that’s disturbing — rather, it’s the unemotional portrayal, with no more empathy than prurience and a harsh gaze that leaves viewers without clear guidance on how to react other than feeling uneasy
Lanthimos repeatedly explores certain dynamics in his work, and one might find a peculiar eeriness in this recurrence. He views the urge to submit as a fundamental part of human character, which he delves into deeply. Although he doesn’t necessarily show sympathy for these characters, he doesn’t distance himself from them either. The heartwarming family reunion ending of Poor Things might seem unrealistic because it provides resolution when Lanthimos’s investigations are far from over
It’s illogical to grant your supervisor the power to dictate your bedtime reading and family size, yet it’s important to consider the factors influencing our choices regarding these matters. This perspective might not seem particularly compassionate, but then again, Yorgos Lanthimos was never a sympathetic figure
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2024-09-04 20:11