“Kinds of Kindness”: Lanthimos returns with his sublime reflections on the human condition
After months of anticipation, “Kinds of Kindness”, the new film by Oscar®-nominated director Yorgos Lanthimos, will premiere in theaters on June 28.
“Kinds of Kindness” is a triptych fable that narrates three stories: the first is about a trapped man trying to take control of his own life; the second is about a terrified policeman whose wife, previously lost at sea, has returned but seems like a different person; and the third is about a woman determined to find someone with a special gift destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader. The screenplay was written by Lanthimos himself, along with Efthimis Filippou.
The film stars Academy Award® winner Emma Stone, Academy Award® nominee Jesse Plemons, Academy Award® nominee Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Academy Award® nominee Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer, all delivering masterful performances.
Behind the camera, the film features Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan (“Poor Things”, “The Favourite”), production designer Anthony Gasparro (“First Cow“), costume designer Jennifer Johnson (“I, Tonya”), head of the makeup department Jessica Needham (“First Cow”, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), head of the hair department Jennifer Serio (“First Cow”, “Saturday Night Live”), and Oscar®-nominated editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis (“Poor Things”, “The Favourite”).
Three Interconnected Stories
The three stories play with notions of faith and trust, examining the power dynamics in human relationships. Through these fictional characters, we are led to reflect on our own lives, relationships, and beliefs about what is true.
Although the three narratives differ, they all share the theme of dependence within various relationships, regardless of their nature—whether romantic, economic, a sense of belonging, or familial. In each, someone is subjugated to another or to a cause, even if they feel free to choose.
Lanthimos delves into authority and the fluctuation of free will, exploring the struggle between the freedom of choice and freedom from choice.
“It’s about the human condition, identity, control, and the desire to belong, to want to be free.” Lanthimos
Location
The film was shot in New Orleans. Lanthimos and the creative team sought a place that could be an anonymous city, blending discreetly into the background, as the film is set in an unnamed American city.
For integral sets like the lake house and Raymond’s house, Lanthimos wanted them to be indulgent yet slightly distorted.
Cinematography
This project reunites Lanthimos with his cinematographer from “The Favourite” and “Poor Things”, Robbie Ryan, who received Academy Award® nominations for both films. During pre-production, Lanthimos and Ryan discussed using the camera differently and more simply than in the past.
Besides framing techniques, Ryan highlights Lanthimos‘s preference for black and white, used in this film to denote a subsection of reality, such as when characters recount a story or during dream sequences.
Soundtrack
“Kinds of Kindness” marks Jerskin Fendrix‘s second foray into film composition, following his Academy Award®-nominated debut in “Poor Things”, which was also the first time Lanthimos used a composer for his films.
In conclusion, “Kinds of Kindness” is intense, magnificent, and essential. Not only does it represent the human condition in all its facets, but it’s always a pleasure to witness a new creation from our admired Yorgos Lanthimos. Highly recommended.
PS: Don’t leave as soon as the credits roll…
(*) Photographic material provided by The Walt Disney Company Spain & Portugal.
