Summary
Kinds of Kindness is a 2024 black comedy-drama anthology film from Yorgos Lanthimos, perhaps best known for his daring and unconventional narratives. Lanthimos, famous for films like The Favourite and The Lobster, returns with a strikingly fragmented new work grappling with the psyche of the self, free will, and dominion – control and submission as power relations. The film is structured as a triptych, consisting of three thematically cohesive stories, featuring a cast that plays multiple roles across different stories within a single film.
The first story in the film “The Death of R.M.F.” is about Robert, a man who is wholly governed by his boss, Raymond, is introduced to audiences. Robert is not simply an employee, but rather, a devoted drones whose subservient existence comes at a heavy price – every aspect of his life from relationships to choices are dictated by Raymond. Robert is played by Jesse Plemons, and Raymond Dafoe is cast as his supervisor. Raymond manages Robert’s life and decision making with brutal control, always telling him what to eat and whom to love. When Raymond orders Robert to perform a morally reprehensible deed, however, Robert has a breakdown. This story deals with the submission to authority, personal freedom, and the theme of passive violence inflicted by absolute dominion. It forces the viewer to ask themselves, what happens when someone’s unwavering allegiance to power leads them to a complete disregard for their individuality?
The chapter “R.M.F. Is Flying” takes a psychological turn in the narrative. Here Plemons takes on the role of Daniel, Liz’s police officer husband, and Stone portrays the wife Liz, presumed to be dead after a boating accident. Somehow, Liz manages to come home, and while she looks the same physically, her mind is different. There is something estranged about her tastes, the way she behaves, and her memories are… well, broken. Much like Daniel feels, there is an all-encompassing sense of dread. The unfolding conflict is a complicated fusion of familial betrayal and self deceit. The story question, whether the man is affronting the companion he loved, is triggered. The entire chapter comes off as a modern fable, combining elements of suspicion, dread and wonder typical of Lanthimos.
In “R.M.F. Eats A Sandwich,” we step into the strange world of cult fanaticism and cult worship. Emily (Emma Stone) and Andrew (Jesse Plemons) are cult followers under the mysterious Omi (Willem Dafoe) and Aka (Hong Chau). They are on a quest to find a woman who is believed to have the supernatural power to bring people back to life. In pursuit of what they believe to be miraculous, they have to face their ultimate fears, the truth behind their most cherished hopes, and how much faith verges on madness. This story explores the desire to find purpose amidst chaos and describes the corresponding danger that comes from absolute belief in notions without evidence.
Lanthimos’ focus on the cult theme is persistent throughout all three stories and is blended with the powerful motifs of obedience, power, identity, and existential doubt, creating a hauntingly disjointed compositional narrative. Each story interrogates the how much autonomy one has and how far free will can stretch when confronted with personal, institutional, or supernatural entities that seek to impose control over will.
Cast & Crew
As well showcased in Kinds of Kindness, the anthology features exceptional Kinds of Kindness where the extraordinary cast as repeatedly showcased with some playing multiple characters throughout the three parts of the anthology.
Emma Stone
As always, Stone’s performances are spellbinding, embodying emotionally tortured or overtly devoted characters as fervently as possible. She demonstrates complexity in her characters as women trapped between control and freedom, rationality and faith.
Jesse Plemons
Plemons carries the weight of the film single-handedly with his astonishing changes from an enslaved worker to a wondering suspicious spouse and then a faith-driven cultist. His portrayal of surreal situational phenomena in the film adds an emotional backbone to the movie.
Willem Dafoe
With the commanding boss, cult leader, and authority figure roles, Dafoe gives a captivating performance by tackling the tricky balance of being overbearing while oddly fatherly.
Hong Chau
Chau differentiates herself as one of the main protagonists in the cult storyline with a performance defined by the equilibrium of charisma and quiet menace.
Margaret Qualley and Joe Alwyn
The two actors have more than one appearance in the story, which adds further depth to the cast with their depiction of vulnerability, metamorphosis, and acquiescence.
Yorgo Lanthimos is both directing and co-writing the film alongside his familiar companion Efthimis Filippou. It seems as though the duo will continue gifting us meticulously curated narratives overflowing with dark humor, sharp absurdity, and piercing critiques about society and humanity. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan infuses an unsettling quality into the visuals, seamlessly integrating the surreal with the commonplace while the score by Jerskin Fendrix is equally whimsical, punctuating the film’s relentless shifts from suffocating dread to dark humor.
Themes and Analysis
K[…] of Kindness is a film rich in theme and moral complexity. It fundamentally revolves around the eternal conflict between a person’s will to act autonomously and the magnetic force of submission from external and internal factors. In every narrative, there are characters with excruciatingly tough choices that force them to confront authority, which could be a cruel manager, a miraculous figure who comes back, or a cult prisoner.
The issue of identity is also among the most concerning questions. All the three people included in the triptych wonder not just who other people are, but who is controlling them and forcing them to act a certain way. The identity is something that the film implies is fluid, easily created, destroyed, or remolded by those who wish to sculpt it.
The anthology style of storytelling uniquely permits Lanthimos to analyze faith and devotion in a multifaceted manner. Trust, whether it be blind faith in an employer, a strange acceptance of a spouse’s return, or the zealous devotion of cultists, is analyzed in the film as one of the inner mechanisms driven – rational or otherwise – govern human action.
Moreover, Kinds of Kindness addresses the chaos and meaning through the lens of humanity. Each story contains characters who advance their quest for comprehension in a chaotic world only to meet the reality of uncertainty. This journey often brings them perilously close to danger, highlighting the risks woven into certainty.
These profound existential concepts are framed by moments of absurdity and dark humor which Lanthimos introduces to lift the burden of contemplation while still sparking deep thought.
Critical Reception
At its premiere across various film festivals, Kinds of Kindness attracted both critical acclaim and interest. Critics touted the film’s ambition, the performances of the ensemble cast were applauded, particularly Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons for their range as shot. Many remarked how unsettling yet complex that it was for Lanthimos to weave into the narrative of reminding the viewers of their societal and self-truths.While some viewers may experience the anthology’s pacing as slow and thematically challenging, others will appreciate the deep engagement it intellectually and emotionally provides. It is the kind of film that encourages repeated viewings, with each pass adding deeper meaning and interpretation.
Wrap Up
Provocative and meticulously crafted, Kinds of Kindness is a film that showcases the talents of Yorgos Lanthimos focused on the darker sides of human nature. Through its triptych structure, compelling performances, and philosophical insight, it offers a haunting meditation on control and the relentless human desire to forge identities, connections, and meaning.
With a willingness to surrender to its surreal, ostranened narrative, Kinds of Kindness ensures an experience that lingers long after the screen fades to black. Unsettling yet rewarding, it boldly explores the multifaceted concept of kindness alongside the sacrifices one often makes to give or receive it.
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