For those new to the works of Yorgos Lanthimos – or perhaps, for those only familiar with more accessible works like The Favourite and Poor Things – Kinds of Kindness may come as a harsh shock. You’ll find no whimsical set pieces or exaggerated costumes here, as such niceties have no place in the cruel world Lanthimos has created for his characters. Instead, he has filled his pitiless anthology with the kind of savage misanthropy usually reserved for hulking, machete-wielding maniacs on the hunt for teenage blood. But you won’t find those, either. What you will find are three stories filled with abusive power dynamics run amok, and what seemingly ordinary people will do to maintain their places within them.
Lanthimos, while never known for showing any particular warmth toward his characters, is especially mean-spirited toward those found in the oft-remorseless Kinds of Kindness. Rarely do any succeed in a meaningful way, and when they do, their victories are either snatched from them or come at a dismally traumatic price. Everything we see happen to this unfortunate group of saps is disheartening and troubling, so it’s a good thing it’s also wickedly funny.
Told as three separate and unrelated stories (or triptychs – a set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together, according to the Oxford Dictionary), Kinds of Kindness plays out its absurdity with a small cast performing different roles in each chapter. Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie each take on three distinct characters, most of whom endure varying degrees of humiliation or degradation.
From overbearing control freaks who schedule every minute of their employees’ lives, to awkward dinners with friends and nightmarish cannibalism, to sex cults and the secret to everlasting life, Lanthimos goes wild with his pitiful band of sad-sacks, and surprisingly, we’re the better for it. As mean-spirited as Kinds of Kindness is, and no matter how dark its humor may become, it still offers a rather entertaining and artistic glimpse into a variety of human frailties. And its cast, who are astounding at embodying their assorted roles, is certainly up to this tragedy-fraught challenge.
Like the work of Lars von Trier, you may be disgusted by some of the behavior you see. Likewise, as with the films of Todd Solondz, you may burst into laughter before your morals and better judgment have a chance to catch up. But, like both of these controversial directors, Lanthimos is holding a mirror to society and daring you to take a look. Where things get dicey is whether or not you’re capable of being truthful with yourself about what you see staring back. What does our societal reflection say about us, Lanthimos is asking, if we continue to allow cruelty to be the point?
James is a writer, skateboarder, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.