Three stories revolve around a man who tries to take control of his own life, a policeman whose wife seems like a different person, and a woman who searches for someone with a special ability.
Part 1 - "The Death of R.M.F." We are introduced to a man (Jesse Plemons) whose life is not under his control, his decisions are chosen for him by a higher power. Forced to do things he wasn’t comfortable with he attempts to rebel, only to realise he is easily replaceable. This part was incredibly drawn out at the beginning, in my opinion this is the wrong story to begin the film with. It was far less impactful than I expected and by the end of this section I was nervous to continue.
The ending of Part 1 was like nothing really happened, Plemons character realised Stone's character had replaced him and we wanted his status back. Overall, a simple conclusion with little shock factor or thrill.
Part 2 - "R.M.F. Is Flying" A police officers (Jesse Plemons) wife (Emma Stone) went missing whilst researching in a remote location. As the officer starts to recoil, his wife is found but we soon realise she is not herself. She craves food she once hated and her clothes no longer fit. Subtle changes that cause uncertainty to settle in, soon it is revealed something sinister happened to her whilst she was lost. Part 2 is easily the strongest section of the three, I was fully invested in the story and couldn't wait to find out what happened in the end. Emma Stone alongside Jesse Plemons played incredible roles with some truly uneasy moments, I was pleased to have continued into part 2 and I want to formally ask Yorgos to make this section into a full feature.
Part 3 - "R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich" We start in a morgue, a young woman (Hunter Schafer) attempts to bring a corpse back to life but to no avail. With cult-like attributes this part is far more surrealist and non sensical. The whole cast multi-role through each part, with Jesse Plemons at the centre of each. Lanthimos has brought three short films with chilling undertones and suspenseful storylines, one of which is genuinely intriguing. Although part 3 had a lot of unusual moments, it was easily my least favourite section of the whole film. I found it to be slow, boring and lacking in any true story. Emma Stone's reckless driving in the purple Dodge charger and strangely hilarious dancing at the end were redeeming factors of this section but not much more than that.
While Kinds of Kindness may be a bit too absurd and surreal for its own good, the cast and intricate filmmaking style make it an ambitious anthology worth checking out at least once. With a witty, charming humour to it and a few crudely constructed scenes, this film is not Lanthimos' best but it does convey his uniquely intriguing style of filmmaking.
Yorgos Lanthimos is a talented surrealistic director, he strives to challenge his viewers. Encourage them to see his stories from a different angle and usually I am taken by his tone of voice. Kinds of Kindness (2024) left me a little unsatisfied, the first part was lacklustre and easily the weakest part of the three. The second part was far more engaging and enigmatic, the tension of the unknown and the building of paranoia was something I really enjoyed.
Probe Points 3/5
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