In a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they're transformed into ... Read allIn a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they're transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.In a dystopian near future, according to the laws of The City, single people are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in 45 days or they're transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 33 wins & 84 nominations total
Seán Duggan
- Guard Waiter
- (as Sean Duggan)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe production worked almost entirely with natural light and without makeup. Lighting was only used for some night scenes.
- GoofsWhen the heartless woman is escorting David out of their room, she clearly has blood splatters on the backside of her calf. As she chases David through the halls, the blood on the back of her calf disappears. When David shoots her with the tranquilizer in the back, the blood has reappeared on her calf.
- Quotes
Loner Leader: We dance alone. That's why we only play electronic music.
- SoundtracksString Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1; II Adagio Affetuoso Ed Appasionato
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Juilliard String Quartet
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment Inc
Featured review
Cleverly original, scathing, and sharp – even if the oddity of it all did make it hard to penetrate
I had heard reviews of The Lobster and, while sounding interesting, it also sounded odd enough to delay me in getting round to seeing it. Like many have said, the plot is weird; single people are sent to a hotel and given a period of time to find a match or else they will be turned into the creature of their choosing and released to the wild. Those struggling can add days to their stay by being successful on hunts for those singles who have broken free and live as collective individuals in the woods.
The concept is cleverly constructed so that it is weirdly convincing despite its utter absurdity. Within this the film satirizes relationships, singles – in particular the extremes of those two situations. The push for companionship, with its common ground, and its rituals, and the digs at elements of life such as children distracting from conflict. Perhaps it hit a bit too close to home with its regimented rituals, and awkward neediness. On the other side the extreme version of singlehood is also dug at once we are in the woods. It is not as clever as some would tell you, nor as smart, but it is certainly interesting, darkly funny, and pretty engaging throughout. It doesn't pull it off totally, but I enjoyed it from start to finish – its oddity runs through from the ideas, the performances, down into the specific dialogue. Having such a great cast helps, but the tightness of creative vision throughout is what holds it all together. As odd and slightly unsuccessful as it is, it is still well worth watching.
The concept is cleverly constructed so that it is weirdly convincing despite its utter absurdity. Within this the film satirizes relationships, singles – in particular the extremes of those two situations. The push for companionship, with its common ground, and its rituals, and the digs at elements of life such as children distracting from conflict. Perhaps it hit a bit too close to home with its regimented rituals, and awkward neediness. On the other side the extreme version of singlehood is also dug at once we are in the woods. It is not as clever as some would tell you, nor as smart, but it is certainly interesting, darkly funny, and pretty engaging throughout. It doesn't pull it off totally, but I enjoyed it from start to finish – its oddity runs through from the ideas, the performances, down into the specific dialogue. Having such a great cast helps, but the tightness of creative vision throughout is what holds it all together. As odd and slightly unsuccessful as it is, it is still well worth watching.
- bob the moo
- Mar 28, 2017
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- La langosta
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €4,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $9,077,245
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $190,252
- May 15, 2016
- Gross worldwide
- $17,581,104
- Runtime1 hour 59 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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