Yorgos Lanthimos' new film Kinds of Kindness serves as an exploration of control by letting the viewer glimpse into a portrayal of loneliness, belonging and the interpretation of freedom in three vaguely related narratives.

Kinds of Kindness Review

Kinds of Kindness, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by himself and Efthimis Filippou (one of his long time collaborators) steers away from the romantic fantastical storytelling of the recent Poor Things towards a much heavier and darker tonality that has more in common with earlier works of theirs like The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dogtooth. Kinds of Kindness is split into three vaguely related stories, which all host the same ensemble of actors, led by Jesse Plemonds, Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. Themes of loneliness, belonging, freedom and control can be found at the core of all three parts, but take on different masks depending on the social structure the characters find themselves entangled in. The extremism and grotesque absurdity that exist within the narrative worlds are pointing a finger at the viewer, inviting them to start thinking for themselves.


What originally inspired Lanthimos to explore the duality of freedom and control was the play Caligula by Albert Camus, as he states in numerous interviews. It tells the story of a Roman emperor who, after the death of his lover, believes control will lead to his ultimate freedom and, totally detached from humanity, goes on to use his power to take destructive control of everyone around him. Eventually he comes to realize that one cannot harm without harming oneself. 



Observation 

Walking into a Yorgos Lanthimos film is always an interesting blend of excitement, fear and overwhelm. After the success of Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness was so heavily marketed that it was almost impossible to have not heard Brand New Bitch, seen an interview with the cast or get a taste of Hong Chau licking sweat off someone's belly on any given social media feed. The first thing that struck me was the mix of black and white footage, the blunt editing married with Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (are made of this) and the title color combination. In good Lanthimos fashion a bold statement far away from the beaten path of complete mainstream.



The movie itself was a delightful, yet very hard pill to swallow. There were numerous occasions where the audience froze up and their hands were rushing up to cover their eyes. At the same time there was laughing and giggling for a good portion of the three parts. 
Even though it is such a poignant critique of our society and the value system that we have set in place for ourselves, the movie is initially hard to grasp as the absurdity unfolds in such a grotesque way in front of you and seems impossible to be translated into an everyday experience.

Plot

The three parts of Kinds of Kindness are loosely connected through the character of R.M.F., who even though he doesn’t have a lot of screentime, is the centerpoint of each title card, separating the plots but assuring the viewer that they are all part of the established diegetic modern day world. 


The dynamic in each story centers around two characters, where one of them is in control of the other and is viewed higher up in the social hierarchy.

The Death of R. M.F.


It starts with Robert, portrayed by Jesse Plemons, a man who is in all aspects of life totally controlled and guided by his boss Raymond, embodied by Willem Dafoe. Once he is fired from his job, and therefore is forced to cut all ties with Raymond, he finds himself free, but completely lost, alone and in desperate need for Raymond's approval. As the story unfolds Robert goes to extreme lengths to please his former boss, burning all morals to the ground to finally find himself back in Raymonds loving embrace.


R. M.F. is Flying


The second part centers around a married couple, the police officer Daniel (Plemons) and his thought to be dead but resurfaced wife Liz, played by Emma Stone. While the first story revolves around finding approval and placing value in the workplace, this one is set in the intimacy of a romantic relationship. Daniel, irritated by the sudden return of his wife and her change in character, starts testing her by giving her absurd tasks, to see if she really is the real Liz. Liz on the other hand, placing all her value and moral compass toward loyalty, is determined to fulfill her husband's extreme and brutal needs until she kills herself for him. 


R. M.F. Eats a Sandwich

The last of the three stories has a lot of thematic crossover with the previous ones and brings them to another level. Emily (Stone) is part of a cult that sets out to find a woman who supposedly is able to revive the dead. To achieve this she has left her husband and her daughter behind, but eventually finds herself excommunicated and alone. Through a dream she is led to the mysterious woman she has been looking for, kidnaps her, but before she can bring her back to the cult, the woman herself dies and Emily is left with nothing.  

These are extremely concise versions of each plot, leaving out most of the detail. 

Interpretation

“Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused” 

Opening the film Kinds of Kindness with the Eurythmics Song Sweet Dreams (are made of this) is a great choice to foreshadow what the characters are going to endure. Like Caligula they are all using and abusing each other. No one ever empathetic to the others experience or suffering, but focused on the firm grip on themselves to find belonging, validation and acceptance. The masks they wear to conform, to be approved of. The values they place on the outer norms.


Loneliness and belonging are as much entangled with each other as freedom and control and can be found within each of the stories. Three interpretations of kindness that, with a certain outlook, make sense to each character and within each part individually. They are all trying to please each other to get to where they want to go.


The movie beautifully raises questions and doesn’t give a lot of answers, impressions merely, of a very creative mind. It lets you sit in the discomfort and the brutality. In the awkward and confusing. In the pointless and philosophical. It might control your gaze, it might linger, but it gives you the freedom to think on it, or toss it out when you leave the theater. // 

Text: Lina Reisinger
Photos: Searchlight Pictures


 
Verleih: The Walt Disney Company

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