‘KINDS OF KINDNESS’ Review: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Anthology is a Playfully Peculiar Oddity

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

KINDS OF KINDNESS

Rated R, 2 hours and 44 min

Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Yorgos Stefanakos, Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Mamoudou Athie, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Hunter Schafer, Merah Benoit

Mere months after POOR THINGS was released in theaters and picked up a slew of awards, director Yorgos Lanthimos returns with KINDS OF KINDNESS. This off-the-wall, bonkers bonanza is sectioned into three chapters with each loosely connected to a specific main character as he silently drifts through life and death, impacting to various degrees the lives of a cadre of colorful characters. Audacious, outrageous and ridiculous, the three unfolding stories show a range of hilarious provocation and deliberate shock value, along with terrific performances from its acting gallery. They’re neither narratively nor thematically similar, yet they hold together in a comedically perverse and provocative manner.

The madness immediately begins in the first vignette, “The Death of R.M.F,” in which we see corporate automaton Robert’s (Jesse Plemons) life heavily controlled both in and out of the office by his boss Raymond (Willem Dafoe). Everything is micro-managed by Raymond, from his caloric intake to when he has sex with his wife, Sarah (Hong Chau). He also gifts the couple with traumatic memorabilia, like Senna’s bloodstained, burned helmet from his fatal crash and one of McEnroe’s dented rackets. Still, some requests go too far, specifically one to kill a mysterious man – one with their shared initials. Though it initially appears to be an allegorical tale focused on the id killing the ego, Lanthimos and frequent collaborating co-writer Efthimis Filippou turn it into a deep, complex study of the folly of human nature and the wealthy.

After a brief credit roll (set to Margaret Qualley singing “How Deep Is Your Love,” plunking away on a Casio keyboard), the second chapter begins: “R.M.F. Is Flying.” In this parable, policeman Daniel (Plemons) is suffering from deep grief since his wife Liz’s (Emma Stone) research ship has gone missing months prior. His partner Neil (Mamoudou Athie) and Neil’s wife Martha (Qualley) find he’s inconsolable. That is until Liz returns, or rather, someone who looks like her does. A delusional Daniel suspects she’s a clone as she’s not acting like herself and doesn’t remember details like favorite clothes, food or songs. Perhaps a metaphorical spin on man’s inability to accept female agency post-traumatic radicalization (a la MOVE OVER DARLING or MY FAVORITE WIFE), it houses the best of three shorts’ end credits scrolls.

The final fable that unfolds, “R.M.F. Eats A Sandwich,” shows religious sect members Andrew (Plemons) and Emily (Stone) on the search for their cult’s new goddess, who’s been foretold to not only look a certain way, but raise the dead. Their search takes them out of the comfort of the gulf-side mansion they inhabit with other members, as well as spiritual leaders Omi (Dafoe) and Aka (Chau), and plowing through nearby towns in a purple muscle car. While searching, they are confronted by a bar patron (Qualley), who insists she has information they need. Plus Emily is forced to deal with her husband (Joe Alwyn) and young daughter (Merah Benoit), which puts the mission in jeopardy. The way this one ends almost justifies its means – as if this were an entire showcase spotlighting the meaning of “hoisted by your own petard.”

While the proceedings tend to tend to get a smidge insufferable by the final installment, as the audience is continually bombarded by weirdness for weirdness’ sake, there’s certainly never a boring moment. Lanthimos and his collaborators exhibit an admirable amount of playfulness throughout. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s lushly saturated color palettes and visual dimensions in the black and white memory segments increase the artifice and mood. Composer Jerskin Fendrix’s score emphasizes the absurdity and tonal outlandishness. His pieces range from aggressively swelling choral works to jarring EYES WIDE SHUT-esque one-note tinkering on the piano, with compositions that are either classically composed or sloppy (as if a cat is walking across the keys).

Still, the star attraction is the ensemble gathered, all of whom exhibit a unique slipperiness. The troupe’s triptych of performances are masterfully delivered and conceptually brilliant. Stone’s work, first as Raymond’s pawn Rita and later as diametrically opposed wife archetypes, is dynamic. Plemons and Dafoe, as always, are both tremendous in their three unrelated roles. Supporting performers Athie, Chau and Alywn are all adept at moving with the changing dramatic rhythms of the material. And Yorgos Stefanakos, who plays R.M.F, knows precisely how to fade into the background, but add dimension to his brief screen time and utilization.

Returning to the mischievous spirit of his previous films (like DOGTOOTH, THE LOBSTER and THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER), Lanthimos finds renewed strength and vigor. Not everything totally connects in this bizarre universe he creates. Any genuine artistic endeavor doesn’t necessarily wrap itself up in a bow when finished. However, there are just enough questions left unanswered that it breeds a life of its own. If there’s a final message in the epilogue, it’s that we can’t take things too literally.

Grade: B-

KINDS OF KINDNESS opens in theaters starting on June 21.