Kinds of Kindness (2024)

We may have judged Lanthimos too early, at least I did. When the director transitioned to Hollywood with The Favourite, he significantly compromised his unique style. With Poor Things, it seemed he had almost completely lost it. In his third film with producer Searchlight, Kinds of Kindness, while he hasn’t entirely returned to his original style, we can at least see his signature, albeit somewhat “interrupted”.

The film is presented in a tripartite structure where the sections are unrelated (except for the actors). All three parts revolve around a character named R.M.F. In the first segment, “The Death of R.M.F.,” Willem Dafoe appears again in a godlike role, this time as Raymond, Robert’s boss, who has controlled his will for ten years. Robert has completely lost control of his life; the moment he rejects his boss’s request for the first time, his life turns upside down—he’s so lost in his will that he can’t even decide on his drink at a bar. He tries to rebuild his life independently, but just when it seems he’s succeeding, he finds himself back in Raymond’s arms.

We fell into Lanthimos’s cunning trap, interpreting all of Plemons’s characters as R.M.F. However, the situation is as follows: “In the first segment, R.M.F. is either Raymond (Willem Dafoe) or Robert (Jesse Plemons). But as the film progresses, it’s clear that he is, in fact, the silent character of Stefanakos.” (quote: esquire.com)

After the first segment, which seems like it was made to please the producer aside from a few small details, the second segment almost has the flavor of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer; I later learn that Lanthimos has started working again with Efthymis Filippou, the screenwriter of these two films. Although the distinctive signatures of the director’s early period are not entirely apparent in this segment, Lanthimos still manages to create his unique Hollywood Strange Wave. The segment focuses on R.M.F.’s bizarre process as a police officer after his wife, who was lost in a sea accident, returns.

The final segment focuses on the adventure of a woman who leaves her family for a mysterious cult to find the “savior.” Although not as provocative, daring, and strange as the second segment, Lanthimos still makes his presence felt.

Although not in terms of story, this three-part dystopia is similar in some aspects. Accompanied by “Sweet Dreams” (Eurythmics), dreams and will are among the themes explored in all three segments; how much control we have over our lives, how the outcomes of the decisions we make affect our lives. And of course, the technical touches act as bridges between the segments, with the hysterical strokes of the piano cutting the audience with small nicks each time. Lanthimos has used low-angle shots extensively in this film, but not traditionally to “elevate the character”; R.M.F. never really reaches those levels in any segment. This actually piqued my curiosity.

Lanthimos seems to have returned to his roots in actor direction as well; the actors perform their roles with the same strangeness, yet still naturally. They do this with a sensitivity that doesn’t make the audience feel they’re in different roles in three short segments; for instance, you don’t even question Jesse Plemons as R.M.F., who is first a businessman, then an ordinary policeman, and finally a nondescript character leaving the lead role to Emma Stone.

Even though I still find it odd to see Lanthimos’s name under the bright Hollywood sign after three films, I still love the possibility of him maintaining his style. I hope one day he wakes up from his “Sweet Dreams” and makes a film like Dogtooth again.