Kinds of Kindness (2024)

"Getting fucked by an old man like Raymond, you deserve better than that."
""Getting fucked by an old man like Raymond, however, is exactly what you deserve.""

I wanted to see this in theaters so bad, but after taking my family to see Poor Things and learning that both films were made by Yorgos, I figured that it was best not to. As a result, I had to wait until Kinds of Kindness was streaming on an available platform. I was so excited to see this due to the amazing cast, including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, I was looking forward to watching without really knowing what it was about. Unfortunately, it left me disappointed and highly convinced that I am not a fan of Yorgos Lanthimos. 

The first film I ever watched by Yorgos was Poor Things, which I actually really enjoyed, despite the weird scenes that were extremely uncomfortable to watch with my family. The second film I watched by Yorgos was The Killing of a Sacred Deer, in which I was disappointed after expecting so many great things, but understood why it was rated highly. My recent watch of Yorgos and completing a good portion of his filmography, I can say that I just am not a fan and don't like his work. I was anticipating a lot from this movie, especially with the trailers, but was ultimately left probably even more disappointed than with The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

The choice to split the movie into three equal parts that tell completely different stories with little connection between each of them is definitely interesting, but I don't think it paid of in the grand scheme of things. While I appreciated all of them individually, I think that they would be better as three separate short films rather than one, giant one that has nothing but a character relating them all. Furthermore, of all three short stories, I really only liked the second one, was intrigued by the third, and absolutely hated the first. This isn't to say it's the cast's fault, I actually quite enjoyed the acting, I think it might've been the only saving grace of this movie. I just was not a fan of whatever Yorgos was trying to portray and how it was accomplished. 

I think that his films are just for the weirdos, and that's totally okay if you prefer him. I just personally do not, and I am not a fan of the consistent animal abuse in his films, even if it's special effects and no animals are harmed in the making. There's no disclaimer or warning that there isn't at the beginning or end of the film, and it's not something that I want to sit down for during a film and expect just because of the director. 

Unfortunately, I really enjoyed Poor Things, but aside from that, I think most of his work is trying too hard to be different, in which it just comes across and "weird" and gives me the thought of "Has anyone checked on this guy?" and "Why does Emma Stone keep signing off on these films?" and "Wow, this is sick, wonder if he's in therapy." Maybe I'm just not enough of a film snob to understand what's trying to be achieved in this one and how it was accomplished, but I doubt I'll be rewatching.