Coming off the success of Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos is already returning to us with his next feature. Lanthimos has dropped his writing partner that he collaborated with for The Favourite and Poor Things and has reunited with his original screenwriting partner, Efthimas Filippou, which seems like the right choice for what Kinds of Kindness has to offer with its dark humour and twisted stories.
Kinds of Kindness is an anthology film that contains three stories. The first story is titled “The Death of R.M.F.” and follows Robert Fletcher (Jesse Plemons), who obeys every word that his boss, Raymond (Willem Dafoe), commands him to do, which can range from extreme things such as not having kids with his wife Sarah (Hong Chau). When asked to stage a car accident that could possibly kill someone, Robert pulls back but instantly regrets it once he falls out of his boss’s good book and begs to return. The second story is titled “R.M.F. Is Flying,” which centres around a cop named Daniel (Jesse Plemons), whose wife, Liz (Emma Stone), returns home after being stranded on an island, but Daniel suspects that something is off with Liz’s usual behaviour. The third story is titled “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich” and follows Emily (Emma Stone), who’s searching for a woman from her dreams who supposedly has the power to bring dead people back to life and will become a spiritual guide for the sex cult that she and Andrew (Jesse Plemons) belong to, which is run by Omi (Willem Dafoe) and Aki (Hong Chau).
The mood is instantly set for the film when “Sweet Dreams” starts playing over the studio logo, letting the audience know that they’re supposed to have a fun time with this one. Being an anthology film means that it isn’t going to resonate with everyone in the same way, and not everyone is going to have the same favourite story. Kinds of Kindness nears three hours with its runtime, but personally, I never felt the need to know what the time was. The introduction of each story was refreshing, and because we were following these new characters and there weren’t any repeated characters, the film never once got stale.
Notice how I never once used the word boring to describe any of the three stories. There wasn’t a single story that was boring, but the second story did feel like it went on for the longest, and I did want it to end, but only because it’s easy to predict the outcome of that story. The first and third stories are unpredictable, and thanks to that nature, it allows them to stand on their own without any support.
What’s most impressive about Kinds of Kindness are the performances. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie all play three roles in the film, one for each story. That is not an easy accomplishment to do for one film, but they all manage to pull it off effortlessly, with Jesse Plemons being the standout in the cast. At times, Plemons performance can feel haunting, especially with the addition of the off-key piano notes that play through the film, bringing tension to these bizarre scenarios.
With how the stories are structured, Plemons gets to take the lead in the first story, with Stone sharing the second and third stories with him but primarily taking the lead in the third story. Poor Things was insane for Emma Stone, but I think Kinds of Kindness takes that to a whole different level with the many things that it pulls off, such as cooking a detached finger and pairing it with some cauliflower. There are other actors who make an appearance, such as Hunter Schafer, who only shows up for the tiniest role in the third story, but even for the limited screen time she has, she sends the crowd laughing with these well-timed jokes.
The writing is hard evidence of why Lanthimos and Filippou are an unstoppable duo. Each story starts off quite calm before escalating into complete madness. All the characters also feel so different from each other, even though the same actors are playing them. I had worries that I would be confusing them inside my head, but it’s possible to do that with how they’re written and portrayed.
I can’t express how bizarre Kinds of Kindness can get; there are random acts of violence that will get you jumping out of your seats or force you to look away. If I were to describe this film, I’d describe it as a thriller or horror; the stories themselves and the score fall clearly under that jurisdiction.
All three stories have similar themes. The first story involves someone who always listens to his boss; the second and third stories also follow a similar structure. I think this is very integral to the film, as it’s showing how we as humans are too focused on pleasing others and doing what other people want instead of doing things for our own happiness.
Kinds of Kindness is hilariously dark, twisted, and outrageously bizarre. It’s a film that returns Yorgos Lanthimos to his true nature. It’s a blast of a movie that goes so fast, it’ll be over before you know it. Lanthimos and Filippou prove why they work so well together, creating a script that’s so uniquely different with each story but holds the same themes that show the lengths we go to to worship and devote our lives to someone before taking care of ourselves.
Every cast member brings their A game to a movie that tests the limits of their acting skills. This film might not be for everyone, especially fans of Lanthimos’ recent work, but it’s guaranteed there will at least be a story for everyone.
Kinds Of Kindness releases in theaters on June 21.
