“What’s worse: to die of cold and
hunger in the woods, to become an animal that will be killed and eaten by some
bigger animal, or to have a nosebleed from time to time?”
This is a question posed by The
Limping Man, played by Ben Winshaw, to the main protagonist David, played by
Colin Ferrell in the Indie film The
Lobster. The film itself, written and directed by Greek film maker Yorgos
Lanthimos (Dogtooth), is an odd,
satirical take on relationships, and is summed up perfectly by the question
posed by The Limping Man. It’s weird, it doesn’t quite make sense, yet it’s
truthful to how we should view courtship and love.
In the film, all adults must be
in a committed relationship, and if you’re not, you are sent to a hotel where
you have 45 days to find a mate. If you fail to do so, you get turned into an
animal of your choice. Some people refuse this model, and live as loners in the
woods, only to be hunted by the people in the hotel in an attempt to earn extra
days staying at the hotel. Desperate to find a mate, The Limping Man gives
himself nosebleeds in order to connect to a young woman who naturally gets
nosebleeds often. Based upon this physical attribute, the two are set up as a
match to be paired together forever. When questioned about his lie by David,
The Limping Man gives the aforementioned response.
