Yorgos Lanthimos directs a triptych fable in Kinds of Kindness. In The Death of R.M.F., Robert (Jesse Plemons) refuses to do a task for his friend and benefactor Raymond (Willem Dafoe) and his wife Vivian (Margaret Qualley). This results in Raymond cutting off Robert, resulting in his life falling apart, including losing his wife Sarah (Hong Chau). Desperate to return to Raymond's good graces, Robert begins dating Raymond's new protege Rita (Emma Stone).
In R.M.F. is Flying, police officer Daniel (Plemons) is despondent over the fact that his researcher wife Liz (Stone) is lost at sea and not even his friend Neil (Mamoudou Athie) and wife Martha (Qualley) can cheer him up. However, Liz is suddenly found on an island and she returns home. However, Liz seems like a different person and Daniel becomes convinced that she is not his real wife.
In R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich, Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons) are representatives of a cult led by Omi (Dafoe) and Aka (Chau). The two are looking for a specific woman, who is destined to become a spiritual leader. After prospect Anna (Hunter Schafer) fails her test, Emily is approached by Rebecca (Qualley), saying that her twin sister Ruth is the one she is looking for. However, Emily's status within the cult is endangered when she reconnects with her ex-husband Joseph (Joe Alwyn).
Kinds of Kindness Synopsis
Kinds of Kindness is a triptych dark comedy anthology directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), which he co-wrote with longtime collaborator Efthimis Filippou (Dogtooth, The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film consists of three individual stories, with the film's ensemble cast of Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, and Hong Chau playing different roles in each segment. The stories deal with common themes of power, control, free will, and the dynamics of human relationships.
Arguably the main protagonists of this anthology are Emma Stone, in her third collaboration with Lanthimos, and Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon, Civil War), the latter being front and centre for the first two stories The Death of R.M.F. and R.M.F. is Flying, while Stone takes the lead for the final and longest segment R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich. Each of the stories tackles some very taboo and controversial subjects, including power dynamics, swinging, cults, cannibalism, and sexual assault with subsequent victim blaming.
My Thoughts on Kinds of Kindness
After receiving both mainstream and Oscar attention with his previous films The Favourite and Poor Things, both in collaboration with writer Tony McNamara, Yorgos Lanthimos with original collaborator Efthimis Filippou for Kinds of Kindness. The result is going to be a shock for those who have not seen Lanthimos' earlier films. Probably more shocking is the willingness of stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons to do what they do in the film.
Emma Stone already received, perhaps a bit too much, attention for the multiple graphic sex scenes she had in Poor Things. While the sexual content in Kinds of Kindness is not as gratuitous, the film still sees Stone partake in a 4-way sex scene in one segment, while being date-raped in another, the latter probably one of the more difficult scenes in the film to watch. However, the toned-down sexual content is made up for with other shocking moments, such as a character cutting off and cooking their thumb or another deliberately injuring a stray dog.
Apart from Emma Stone, the true standout in Kinds of Kindness is Jesse Plemons, who deservingly won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance(s) in the film. With the majority of the cast appearing in multiple roles, Hunter Schafer being the only member of the ensemble to only appear in a single segment, it allows for more range. Case in point is Willem Dafoe, who plays the eccentric and weird characters he is known for in The Death of R.M.F. and R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich, the latter also features a full-frontal moment, while R.M.F. is Flying features Dafoe is a more normal role as Liz's concerned father.
Those who have been fans of Yorgos Lanthimos since Dogtooth are probably going to end up enjoying Kinds of Kindness better than those who have only been introduced to him in more recent years. Kind of Kindness is a mainstream film that isn't exactly for mainstream consumption. As such, this will probably split audiences.
