Kinds of Kindness
Introduction
There are reviews of films that you at times sleepwalk through while penning them. And then there are films that literally challenge your perception of films, so much so that there is so much to unpack while penning your review. And the English film Kinds Of Kindness falls in the latter category. As sweet as the title sounds, the film is a stark contrast to it, wherein the title itself is used as an irony while presenting a nihilistic world featuring characters that are seldom reflective on their actions. In other words, kindness as a virtue is only used as a satire here signifying the fact that it is not sold for free, like most items at the grocery store. It is chargable, often used as a barter for love or respect or even a tool for pleasing to eventually wriggle your way through a situation through some vested interests. At the helm of things here is Yorgos Lanthimos, the brilliant mind behind films like Poor Things which was a unique concept in a far more structured setup. On the other hand, Kinds Of Kindness is an anthology featuring 3 absurdist tales loosely linked by a character named RMF that finds himself either as a silent ‘dead’ spectator or just an observer or even a catalyst for the sinister intentions of various characters, even as characters around him keep on changing. There is almost a wicked energy coupled with a playful beat accompanying each narrative that sets Kinds Of Kindness in a league of its own. But then does Kinds Of Kindness manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Kinds Of Kindness is an anthology featuring three tales that are loosely connected with each other through a common character. The narrative format here is of a triptych, a greek word derived from ‘tri’ meaning three and ‘ptych’ meaning fold. This basically is a symbol of a tool used to tell a story across three panels, which might be hinged together or displayed separately. These may have a common theme underlying the narrative or a cohesive character linking the narratives together, and here in Kinds Of Kindness, it is both. In each of the three stories, you see the characters being controlled by a body or warped in love by a toxic relationship of sorts, only for each of them to prove their mettle for personal gains, and to win the trust of the higher authorities who have the power to maintain the status quo of the characters in question. All this while a seamingly unconnected character is a symbolic of life and death over the screenplay standing at 160 odd minutes that represents exactly that – the circle of life. Spoilers ahead!
In the first story, you see the character of Robert seemingly being a simpleton, supposedly leading a happy life with his wife, who is in reality controlled by his boss Raymond who asks Robert to kill a man for him. The man in question is RMF, a character that I will dwell on later in this section. There is little emphasis on his background or why Raymond wants him killed, with the sole focus being on the fact that he could trigger a chain of events to nullify Robert should he choose to refuse his ‘chore’, something that he does. There is a playful energy in the drama even as Robert runs from pole to pole to salvage his pride, and safeguarding his wife who turns a blind eye to him, after a startling revelation. And when Robert finally realises that the task has been assigned to by another lady, he decides to take it upon himself. This short was ironic of the corporates who term themselves as powerful while holding onto the promotions of their ‘hardworking’ employees, and rewarding them only until they ‘blindly’ agree with everything that they say!
The second short has a whimsical take on life in general, wherein the character of Daniel searching for the disappearance of his wife Liz, is finally relieved to find her until he realises that Liz is a changed person. And thus begins a toxic relationship which is a satire on how people and relationships change over a period of time. The controlling aspect of the drama here is two fold, both having Liz at the center of it. As a flashback, you see Liz being controlled by a set of dogs(wherein she finds herself in a world ruled by them) that slowly triggers a change in her (she wants more s*x and more chocolates amidst other things). On the other hand, Liz is also bound by the warped love of her husband Daniel who behaves weirdly in trying to extract a previous version of Liz, whom he dearly loved. The idea of a changed person is bothering him to a point wherein he starts demanding ‘pieces’ of her, both literally and figuratively, something that Liz obliges to fatally. The end will go down as a mindf*ck of sorts with a version of Liz lying dead, even as you see Daniel and another version of Liz embrace each other. This might be the effect of drugs on Daniel given how he might be reimagining things, or a version of Liz that was hidden within her dead corpse that was eventually set free (practically the first seems more plausible but this isn’t a practical film after all). Amidst this, the character RMF is almost like a silent spectator having being a character who rescued Liz from the land of the dogs.
The third short is a layered tale of control where Emily and Andrew work for a s*x cult owned by Omi and Aka who ‘cleanse’ people who are ‘contaminated’ (more like people having extramarital affairs who are targeted). Amidst this, a parallel track involves Emily and Andrew hunting for a lady (having a deceased twin) who has a unique power of reanimating a dead body (who happens to be the character RMF). The one controlled here is Emily, firstly by the hands of her toxic estranged husband who randomly r*pes her one night thereby ‘contaminating’ her. And secondly, the cult who use her ‘services’ and eventually throw her out of the organization (after they discover her being contaminated). There is a comical undertone to the short here wherein you see Emily wanting to find her way back to the cult, after she discovers Ruth, a woman who fits the bill of reanimating the dead perfectly (even as her twin sacrifices her own life for a greater cause). Yet, the end here following a car crash is rather comical and it is symbolic of life in general, as to how unpredictable it actually is (ironically while touching upon the concept of death and the afterbirth too).
In each of these tales, a character named RMF is the common thread, a God-like figure who is independent of the actions of the characters around him. Now RMF could refer to ‘Random Moments of Kindness’ here wherein the character is a catalyst to the ultimate motives of the characters in each of the short (if you are wondering Kindness isn’t spelt with an ‘F’, that is the film right there, absurdist I must say). In a more philosophical sense, the character represents the cycle of life and death – born again (in the third short), witnessing the chaos around (in the second short) and ultimately dying (in the first short). Also, notice the chain of events which can easily be swapped the other way too. The circle of life is also symbolic here – there is a car crash that takes place in the first short as well as the last short, between a lot of chaos in between, something that the drama here stands for too. The screenplay here is a niche in many ways but it is a fulfilling watch in many ways.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues here are conversational with philosophical undertones to accompany the narrative that is whimsical and almost playful in nature. The BGM enhances the mood of the drama while creating an ambience that is weirdly light and frothy despite the seriousness of themes accompanying the narrative. The cinematography comprises of frames that are perfectly in sync with the absurdist themes of the drama without compromising on gore or graphics. So the camera stays stationary even as a character jumps into an empty pool to death or another character cuts off her thumb. The shock value is there but laced with a comical undertone. The editing is pretty good too and makes for a smooth ride through and through. Director Yorgos Lanthimos has got to be one of the few unique voices on celluloid at the moment. And he hands over another peculiar demonstration of the same by going on a rampage to the point that Poor Things would seem like a polished and grounded concept on the whole. Here, he runs riot with so many intertwining themes by taking the absurdist route and ultimately, making for a memorable outing. The characterization and world building were zany and made for an incredible watch.
Performances
The performances are excellent here by the ensemble cast with almost each character playing three differently distinct roles along the way. Hong Chau has her moments to shine in each of her three characters. Margaret Qualley has a terrific screen presence, and she does justice to each of her FOUR characters that she essays. Willem Dafoe is wonderfully understated and does a tremendous job. Emma Stone is absolutely brilliant and there was so much control with subtle bouts of madness accompanying each of her characters. Jesse Plemons delivers probably two of the finest performances this year in a single film while being absolutely impeccable with his dialogue delivery and body language, and also imbibing the vulnerability of each of his characters to perfection. All other actors have their moments to shine too.
Conclusion
Kinds Of Kindness comprises of three brilliant kinds of absurdity and nihilistic chaos that makes for a brilliant watch. Although the film is a niche, if you choose to dig past its playfully disturbing themes, you will be rewarded at regular junctures of the drama that also features some incredible performances. Yorgos Lanthimos is going peculiar again, and I am loving it!
