The Lobster

In a dystopian present where single people unable to procure mates are turned into the animal of their choosing, an awkward and perpetually single man (Colin Farrell) competitively vies for a partner with other residents (John C. Reilly, Ben Whishaw) of their last stop resort while a female-centric guerrilla unit plots in opposition and serves as prey in the woods nearby. Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster is dark, deadpan satire, offbeat, very strange, but often right on the money which boasts a challenging excellent performance from Farrell, funny supporting turns from Reilly and Whishaw, and fine work from Rachel Weisz and Lea Seydoux as members of the rebellion.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Dogtooth

Dogtooth tells the story of three grown children who are confined to their parents' Greek manor. With lies spun by their mother and father in order to keep them from leaving the property, the three still operate in an infantile manner. When the father brings home a blindfolded female security guard from the factory he works in, in order to fulfill his son's needs, things start to get even stranger as the "children" begin to rebel. Dogtooth is an absurdly bizarre film that is content with being that and nothing else. For 93 minutes, all we get are strange vignettes that add up to very little, though I did find the scene where the family listens to Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon and the father says that is their grandfather and offers a personal translation of the lyrics. On the whole however, this movie offers nearly nothing and expects you to wade in its depravity.