12 Jul REVIEW – ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is a quirky, macabre, and devilishly funny enigma

Let’s get one thing straight; if your only exposure to auteur of the absurd Yorgos Lanthimos is Poor Things and The Favourite, you may not be a fan of his latest work. If you’re well-versed in his other films like The Lobster, Killing of the Sacred Deer, and Dogtooth, the twistedly weird and entirely confounding Kinds of Kindness should be in your wheelhouse. After his previous two films achieved mega awards season success (five Oscar wins from 21 nominations) and a collective $200 million worldwide box office take, it feels like Lanthimos has made this bewildering triptych as an aversive response to the populist success he clearly wasn’t seeking.

A quirky, macabre, and devilishly funny enigma that only becomes stranger as each puzzle piece falls into place, Kinds of Kindness is a return to the kind of bizarre cinema that put Lanthimos on the map. Led by solid performances from Jesse Plemons and Lanthimos’ muse Emma Stone, it’s baffling and bemusing yet entertaining and exhilarating cinema, but, above all things, very, very strange. In other words, it’s a Yorgos Lanthimos film.

Split into three chapters, each with its own title and end credits, the film opens with “The Death of R.M.F,” where we follow the peculiar and painfully structured life of businessman Robert Fletcher (Plemons). For reasons unknown, Robert’s domineering boss Raymond (Willem Dafoe) controls literally every aspect of his life. When Robert refuses one particular demand, his life quickly spirals out of control, especially after it appears Raymond has found a replacement for his odd scheme in the form of Rita (Stone).

In the second segment, “R.M.F is Flying,” Plemons takes on the role of Louisiana police officer Daniel who is struggling in the aftermath of his marine biologist wife, Liz (Stone) disappearing at sea. When Liz is miraculously rescued and returned to Daniel, her noticeably irregular behaviour makes him suspect it’s not actually his wife. As his paranoia grows, Daniel begins to put Liz through a series of extreme trials to test her authenticity and loyalty to him.

Finally, “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich” follows Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons), two deeply devout members of a sex cult led by Omi (Dafoe) and his wife, Aka (Hong Chau) with a highly strict set of rules members must follow in order to remain “uncontaminated.” After abandoning her former life as a wife and mother, Emily has become consumed by Omi’s orders to assess a series of candidates who he believes may possess the ability to raise the dead.

While the three chapters are each a unique beast and the actors play completely different characters, they all feature Lanthimos’ signature dark humour where you’ll be heartily laughing as much as you’ll be squirming uncomfortably in your seat. There are overarching themes that inherently link this trio of tales like the search for acceptance, the mind battles of dominance and submission, and the desire for praise from cruel figures in our lives. The title is entirely ironic, as you won’t find much kindness amongst these brutal stories.

Co-written by Lanthimos with his perennial collaborator Efthimis Filoppou, you get the sense each of these tales perhaps started as standalone films before they were crammed together. A lesser filmmaker likely would have fleshed each narrative into their own feature film, but Lanthimos innately understands each idea begins to wear out its welcome and wraps up proceedings before your interest wanes. That being said, “R.M.F. is Flying” has a tendency to lag and become rather repetitive before a conclusion that doesn’t make a lick of sense.

You’ll likely have your own favourite story. For my money, “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich” soars higher than what precedes it. It’s the most compelling narrative, largely due to Emily’s complicated relationship with her forsaken husband and daughter that gives Stone something to really sink her teeth into. Casting Dafoe as a cult leader is a stroke of genius and Lanthimos deftly taps into the unsettling zealotry of veneration. And it features that delicious viral moment of Stone quirkily dancing to COBRAH’s “Brand New Bitch” in front of Emily’s purple Dodge Challenger.

As much as this is being advertised as an ensemble piece, it’s really a vehicle being driven by Plemons and Stone. A compelling Plemons takes centre stage in the first chapter as the exacerbated employee desperate to return to the good graces of his unrelentingly controlling boss. The pair share equal screen time in the twisted second segment as a husband and wife playing a tantalising game of suspicion. The ever-reliable Stone completely owns the final stanza as she effortlessly captures the torment of a woman frantically attempting to prove her decision to leave her family was valid.

Lanthimos continues to display his unique skill for mixing hilarity with the grotesque. There are several surprising moments of bloody violence and one brief sexually explicit scene that will shock an audience out of its puzzled stupor. As bewitching and curious as this film may be (you’ll likely see plenty of think pieces coming, attempting to decipher what it all means), its 165-minute running time does feel a touch overlong. In all honesty, it could have used a brief intermission between each chapter to allow an audience to digest what they’ve just seen.

When all is said and done, Kinds of Kindness is a deeply challenging film and one that might just be too peculiar for some. It’s nowhere near Lanthimos’ best film, but you have to admire his dedication to crafting deviously dark and impressively risky films that refuse to take themselves too seriously. It’s all so fabulously unconventional that it’s best to just give yourself over to it. Isn’t it fun to be so perplexed by something so unusual? Regardless, there’s deep humanity hiding here beneath all the absurdity. You just have to look closer.

Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Producers: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Kasia Malipan
Screenplay: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
Cinematography: Robbie Ryan
Production Design: Anthony Gasparro
Costume Design: Jennifer Needham
Editor: Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Music: Jerskin Fendrix
Running Time: 164 minutes
Release Date: 11th July 2024 (Australia)