ironically, the part of the movie that worked least for me. Dogtooth is actually the film of his that upset me the most. Very tough viewing to get through. Nor particularly interested in revisiting.
If I were invested in the entire film and found the parts that I've been criticizing genuinely tragic/serious, I would be so mad at the end of the movie haha
#fakefan anyways, the gratuitous aftermath of Donny's death does not undercut anything for me because he literally blew his head off with a shotgun. An absolutely shocking and gut-dropping moment with what feels like a pretty normal amount of blood, all things considered
Interestingly, it’s the only one of his I’ve seen that I would say I loved, haha. I did really like Killing though.
I actually found the end put a tin lid on the whole thing. Bad enough a CEO who doesn't talk a real person with fake empathy and detached reasoning, but a whole alien species that wipes us out with a bubble pop like a failed product off the assembly line? Bleak.
I fail to see how it doesn't fit and I also don't think either of those options is correct. Pretty much every one of his films mixes dark humour into topics and ideas that would otherwise not be funny at all, but I don't think that means he looks down upon people in general or the characters he's working with. I'm sure that's a big part of why people think he's a misanthropic director and why a lot of people bounce off his work but for me it simply highlights the absurdity of the world we live in and the societal and personal structures we create as a species. I find the "strangeness" in his work usually creates something memorable, unique and incredibly enjoyable while also creating enough of an abstraction to make it more openly interpretatable. I feel like he often has a stance but the works are more interested in getting people to consider and think about the topics and ideas more than preaching a singular message. I find many of my favourite directors use humour and absurdity to explore darker topics that maybe don't have an easy answer. Maybe seeing more of his work would help you understand his vibe more, although whether that would lead you to liking or disliking him more is anyone's guess lol.
I am chiseling away at my watchlist. I finally started 28 Days Later over the weekend. It was cool so far.
From my working class, connected to people who have gotten caught up in conspiracy & reactionary bullshit perspective, this felt sympathetic to the characters in spite of the antagonistic and absurd tone. And like it wasn’t truly punching down. I respect others bouncing off it differently and it not working for them. But it does feel weird to be told, idk, I maybe should see it as definitively punching down and cruel without purpose. As if it’s self evident.
I think calling Yorgos bitter and curmudgeonly also kinda ignores the fact that his movies are informed by centuries of Greek art which tends to be kind of fucked up
Lanthimos' English-language career makes me think I misread his earlier films. I always thought the last shot of Dogtooth was optimistic, with the daughter finally escaping, but now I think he meant to say she suffocated in the car.
Blowing up the world in a movie really bothers me. I hated when Lars von Trier did it in Melancholia, and it did not work here either. What are we supposed to take from it? In Trier's film the message was that people who are depressed or unhappy will do the best emotionally at the end of the world, but what does that matter if we are going to die anyway? If the message of Bugonia is that humanity cannot be saved, then what are we really fighting for?
It wasn't the only reason we broke up, but a previous girlfriend loved Melancholia and I couldn't handle it.
He is definitely one of the most loathsome directors alive. Lanthimos, despite how I feel about his recent films, seems fine. The idea that he knew who Stavros Halkias is is kind of endearing.
In 2026 it’s ok to make a movie that shows us billionaires destroying the planet and none one stopping them because that is what it feels like is happening.
I think the ending is meant to be open to interpretation, a question to the audience asking how they feel about it rather than a simple message. Do you agree humanity is beyond saving or do you reject the notion? I personally have never taken it as being supportive of the aliens, it reads much more like condemnation to me but perhaps that's just because that's how I see it. It feels like it's pointing out the hypocrisy of such a large scale genocide to me, especially when much of the criticism they are throwing at mankind is their fault. Also, it's been a while since I've seen Melancholia but to me I always took that as more of an exploration of/meditation on depression itself, using the end of the world as just a backdrop to show that even certain death may not be enough to shake the apathy and malaise, and may even have the opposite effect of bringing comfort or purpose, knowing that their suffering was coming to an end. So yeah, they might do the best emotionally at the "end of the world" but in realistic terms I guess that could just mean they have gone through enough mental turmoil that when their time does come they can face it in a more peaceful manner, or help support those they love when they face hard times, whether that be death itself, their own depression or any horrible thing they have to face. I think it's trying to find some beauty or positivity within an otherwise terrible condition.