Film Review: ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is a Tough Sell (in Either Direction)

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness is going to be a problem. The worst film critic you know (or wannabe critic) will laud it as an underappreciated masterpiece. At the same time, when your grandmother stumbles across it on a streaming service, she will decry it as the worst film they’ve ever seen. That’s a difficult place to be.

On the one hand, Lanthimos has experienced the critical and commercial success from his previous films, and now has the cache to tell whatever story he wants. At the same time, the choice to use that cache to make a story with the extremely alien elements heads down an concerning avenue. It’s almost as if the more mainstream appeal and acceptance Lanthimos has received, the more he wants to push back against it, to see how far that acceptance will go.

This raises the question of audience expectations vs. audience delivery. Following up on Oscar-winning (and relatively audience accepting) films like The Favorite and Poor Things, does Lanthimos even care if people like what he presents? Are those two films the exception in the director’s filmography, and you can expect more like this film? I think that would be a reasonable expectation going forward.

The film’s plot revolves around three separate, self-contained stories all starring the central cast of Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie.

In the first story, (“The Death of R.M.F.”) Robert (Plemons) is in a submissive relationship with his boss Raymond (Dafoe). He obeys every command on how to run his life, relationships, and even his meals. When Raymond asks Robert to perform an act he doesn’t want to do, Raymond breaks contact, which in turn destroys Robert’s life and balance.

The second story (“R.M.F. is Flying”) features police officer Daniel (Plemons) whose wife Liz (Stone) has gone missing in a boat. When she returns, Daniel begins to suspect she might not be the same Liz that left. As his paranoia takes over his life, he begins to test Liz in increasingly provocative ways.

The third and final story (“R.M.F Eats a Sandwich”), cult member Emily (Stone) looks for a prophesized savior who can raise the dead. While Emily is devoted to the following, she sneaks away from fellow cult member Andrew (Plemons) to see her daughter. All the while, a woman (Margaret Qualley) claims her twin sister (also Qualley) is the one they are seeking.

Each story takes a bit of time to settle into, but they are certainly not boring. Each story essentially encapsulates a character who is in a hyper-realistic situation, begins to spiral when things go wrong, and eventually seeks redemption. But, it’s also preposterous. No one person would ever act this way, so a macabre humour exists to fill the awkward void. It’s just going to be too weird for a lot of people.

To their credit, no actor skates by on talent and charisma. Each performer gives it their absolute all in every facet, even when Lanthimos asks them to do some truly bizarre things. Plemons dives into the first two stories with zeal and commitment. Though he takes a backseat in the third story, his performance still resonates. Qualley is mostly sidelined through the first two, but gets her highlight in the final. Stone, Dafoe, and Chau all have their moments to shine.

Kinds of Kindness is a very specific type of film that certainly won’t be for everyone. Don’t be surprised if the worst and best people you know have wildly differing opinions on it. I landed somewhere in the middle, but I appreciate the attempt at something original.