The Lobster (15)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
3/5

Our obsession with finding a soulmate takes a ruthless and animalistic turn in this deliciously bonkers love story which would have Bridget Jones reeling in horror while downing a bottle of Chardonnay.  

It is set in a dystopian future in which singletons are forced to go to a hotel where they have 45 days to find a compatible romantic partner or be transformed into the animal of their choice.

The hotel’s strict regime is seen through the eyes of the recently dumped David (Colin Farrell) who opts for becoming a lobster because they live long and he loves the sea but as a fellow guest points out he is more likely to be caught and boiled alive.

Bisexuals aren’t allowed in the hotel and all guests are banned from masturbating but they must take part in group activities including a hunt for Loners — single people who have escaped from the premises and are hiding out in the woods.

Yorgos Lanthimos’s (Dogtooth) first English language film is essentially a satire on coupledom and the notion that you can only be happy and fulfilled if you are in a relationship.  

It is surprisingly amusing yet deeply macabre and totally engrossing while the action unfolds in the hotel. However, it loses momentum and its way when the story switches to the woods where David joins the Loners (who are anti-relationships) and gets involved with one of their members the Short Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz), which is against their equally regimented rules.

Farrell, who put on weight for the role, keeps you invested in this incredulous ride with his sympathetic portrayal of the hapless David aided by Weisz as his better half and partner in crime.

It is pointless trying to make sense of this wonderfully surreal film — just watch and enjoy the madness.