Kinds of Kindness (2024)

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Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite) has blazed his own off-kilter path throughout Hollywood’s landscape since he first hit the scene in 2015 with The Lobster. His dry and dark sensibilities, combined with his unique insight into the stranger side of the human condition, have left lasting impacts on critics and audiences alike, clearly shown through his numerous Oscar wins and universal acclaim over the past decade. Kinds of Kindness seeks to capitalize on that industry cred in a triptych of tales that begs the audience to gleam anything from its sour plotlines other than the bottomless pit of need and exploitation inherent within our most human connections.

While the three stories have complementary themes and usually share the same morally bankrupt core, each modern American fable seeks to examine specific societal pressure points, with varying returns in quality.

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Our first story involves Robert (Jesse Plemons), a corporate stooge who, unknown to the audience, is stuck in an utterly oppressive relationship with his boss, Raymond (Willem Dafoe), who wields an iron fist of control over his life. From his clothes to his dietary habits and even his choice of spouse, every aspect of his existence is tailored and controlled to the whims of his eccentric superior. Throughout this first story, we watch Robert’s yearning for freedom from his regimented life collide with the harsh reality of his need for his boss’s affection. This all culminates in Robert taking drastic measures and losing a part of himself to be accepted and ultimately let back into the fold in the form of a literal “warm embrace” from his toxic superior.

By far the most substantial story of the bunch, the twisting paranoia and crushing loneliness depicted on screen is evocative and leaves a strong impression. It’s also Jesse Plemons’s best performance in the film as well, as we descend with him into the empty void that absolute devotion creates in all of us.

Not as strong as the first but still an intriguing premise, the second story follows Daniel (Plemons), a police officer whose wife, Liz (Emma Stone), has just been rescued after being stranded on an island for months. While the previous story saved its more surreal aspects for the character’s internal work, this one ventures further into the inexplicable eccentricities of Yorgos Lanthimos, combining both body horror and the desire to capitulate to our significant others in a shocking conclusion. While the ebbs and flows of this story drag a little longer than the first, they are still full of deviously dark and humorous moments. A particularly notable scene is when Daniel, his partner on the Police force and his wife watch their self-recorded swinger sex tape.

At the same time, the unsaid horror of one of the participants possibly dead at sea hangs over the viewing like a perverse pendulum of morbidity and affection, perfectly encapsulating what makes this film unique. This expert way Yorgos can juxtapose the uncanny experiences of life with the taboo underbelly of human relations really allows this film to shine and nail home its points of contention.

Unfortunately, while being his most provocative piece, the third story drags in points, exposing the triptych’s almost three-hour runtime. In this one, we follow Emily (Emma Stone) as she searches for a cult’s messiah across the Americas while combating the strained relations of those she left behind, notably her daughter and estranged husband. While the premise is fascinating and allows for some of the film’s darkest scenes, many of its supplementary plot points and conversations seem rudderless, with less to do with the overarching themes than the previous two stories.

Kinds of Kindness is a more than acceptable daring arthouse addition to Yorgos Lanthimos’s intriguing lexicon, breathing new life into Hollywood’s typical generic fare. While the loose plot structures and obscure themes might leave some wanting, anyone willing to meet this surrealist anthology on its own terms will be in for an intriguingly crafted, one-of-a-kind experience we’ve come to expect from such a one-of-a-kind writer/director.