In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

Director:

Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers:

Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou (as Efthimis Filippou)
Reviews
Popularity
772 ( 70)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 34 wins & 82 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Abrahams ... Donkey Shooter
Roger Ashton-Griffiths ... Doctor
Jessica Barden ... Nosebleed Woman
Olivia Colman ... Hotel Manager
Anthony Dougall Anthony Dougall ... 70 Year Old Waiter
Sean Duggan ... Guard Waiter
Colin Farrell ... David
Roland Ferrandi ... Loner Leader's Father
James Finnegan James Finnegan ... Bald Man
Robert Heaney Robert Heaney ... Restaurant Waiter
Rosanna Hoult ... David's Wife
Jaro Jaro ... Bob the Dog
Ryac Ryac ... Bob the Dog
Ashley Jensen ... Biscuit Woman
Kathy Kelly Kathy Kelly ... Police Officer 1
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Storyline

A love story set in a dystopian near future where single people are arrested and transferred to a creepy hotel. There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal and released into the woods. Written by R. Byma

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

An unconventional love story by Yorgos Lanthimos.


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including dialogue, and some violence | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Léa Seydoux (Loner Leader) and Ben Whishaw (The Limping Man) appeared in Spectre (2015), which was released the same year. In addition, Rachel Weisz (Short-sighted Woman) is the wife of James Bond actor, Daniel Craig. See more »

Goofs

When David was trying to see if the other person was wearing contacts while in the woods, whenever he gave a direction to point his eye (left, right, up....etc), the other character would move his eye in the correct direction slightly before David would say which direction to look. See more »

Quotes

Hotel Manager: If you encounter any problems you cannot resolve yourselves, you will be assigned children, that usually helps.
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Soundtracks

String Quartet No. 2: I Moderato
Composed by Alfred Schnittke (as Alfred Schnittke)
Permission of Boosey & Hawkes, an Imagem Company
Performed by the Tale Quartet with kind permission of BIS Record, Sweden
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User Reviews

 
An Absurdist Screwball Comedy
31 July 2015 | by Albert_OrrSee all my reviews

The Lobster is a surreal deadpan comedy about the strangeness of social pressures and modern relationships.

The setting is a bleak, tightly controlled hotel on the coast of Ireland. David (Colin Farrell), a recently divorced Architect, is given 40 days to find a partner or else be transformed into an animal of his choosing; in this case, a lobster. Sound strange? That's just the first 10 minutes. Guests of the hotel are subjected to routine trips to shoot 'loners' with tranquillisers, and awkward high-school dances to entice singles to mingle. As David's days start running out, he decides to feign common interest with a heartless woman in order to escape his fate. But can he pull it off?

Farrell really hits the mark with this role, displaying awkward machismo and fragile humility in equal measure. His comedic timing is matched only by his supporting cast that includes John C. Reilly, Ashley Jensen, and Olivia Coleman. Rachel Weisz is also spot-on as the short-sighted woman.

The Lobster has just about everything you'd want from a film. It's unpredictable, it's offbeat, and it's laugh-out-loud funny. But it's most impressive feature is the subtext - it manages to reflect how odd our own modern-day social pressures are. How loneliness is feared, how individuality loses out to the mainstream system, and how relationships have to be deemed 'legitimate' by some higher order. There's plenty to talk about with this film, and I'll definitely be seeing it again to delve a little deeper....


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Details

Country:

Ireland | UK | Greece | France | Netherlands | USA

Language:

English | French | Greek

Release Date:

16 October 2015 (Ireland) See more »

Also Known As:

The Lobster See more »

Filming Locations:

County Kerry, Ireland See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

EUR4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$190,252, 15 May 2016

Gross USA:

$9,077,245

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,509,546
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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