Screening daily from Friday 28th June.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ most recent project comes only months after the award-winning Poor Things (2023), bringing over the familiar cast of Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley. However, for Kinds of Kindness Lanthimos has shifted his focus from epic period pieces to the more simple expression of his absurdism seen in The Lobster (2015) and previous films.

The official synopsis suggests a ‘triptych fable’, comprising three separate stories featuring largely the same cast. These follow a man trying to take control of his life, an alarmed policeman when his missing wife returns, and a woman trying to find a person destined to be a spiritual leader.

Lanthimos noted the strengths of making an anthology, calling it “more complex and more engaging” because the audience can bring “whatever you’ve been thinking about from the first story into the next”. Unsurprisingly, he has found a new way to make his audience uncomfortable yet captivated. However, all of Lanthimos’ signature quirks are still apparent. Dark comedy, sex, death and dancing are ever-present.

Actor Jesse Plemons has received particular praise, winning the award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. Most recently appearing in Civil War (2024) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney has described Plemons as “an actor with extraordinary range who’s the standout of a stellar ensemble”. This is especially impressive in a star-studded cast such as this.

With its disturbing yet humorous take on control, divinity and the absurdity of life, Lanthimos’ blunt and unsentimental style promises to provoke fans and newcomers alike.

Toby Breeze