Review: ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is an anthology of dream-like stories

The director-actress duo Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, who previously worked on acclaimed films “The Favourite” and “Poor Things,” have released their latest collaboration, “Kinds of Kindness.”

“Kinds of Kindness” was an anthology consisting of three distinct, absurd stories with loose and vague connections. “The Death of R.M.F.” which followed a man whose entire life was controlled by his boss, “R.M.F. is Flying” where a man suspected his wife of having been replaced by a lookalike after being lost at sea, and “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich” which followed a woman in a cult searching for someone with the power to raise the dead.

The movie stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Willem Dafoe. Most of the cast acted in all three sections but played different characters. 

Highs

The movie was unique and experimental, forgoing typical logic for something more akin to dreaming; anything can happen and the stories choose their own logic. This was especially present in the first storyline where even the dialog was unusual. This allowed the film to seamlessly genre bend, taking on elements of speculative genres such as fantasy and horror.

The anthology setup allowed for cast members to show off their range, particularly Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, both of whom capture the melodrama, emotion, and quirks of their storylines.

The stories all had intriguing connections both in certain details being repeatedly brought up and in the themes. By all being contrasted against each other, they lent much food for thought, highlighting themes such as obsession and relationships with unequal love.

Lows

Though all stories were bizarre, they were not always consistent, making the film feel less like an anthology and more like three different movies. The first story leaned the most into the dream-like quality while also having instances of comedy. The second story took a more grounded, serious feeling, but had a more bizarre plot. Finally, the third was played the most straight, having felt the most like a traditional film until the strange ending.

This slowed the movie down, which was already long at 2 hours 45 minutes, feeling much longer. Each story started out with slow paces and sped up near the end of them, repeated three separate times. On the one hand, this allowed for stories to be fleshed out, on the other, it was a slog to get through.

The movie’s gore and heavy topics were handled inconsistently. When done well, they gave depth and commentary to the film. But there were multiple points where the film went too far, no longer making a point but rather a gruesome, exploitative spectacle. In particular, a rape scene that while not overly graphic and short could have been shorter and focused less on the victim’s nudity, and a scene where miscarriage is discussed and a flashback is shown of blood in a toilet that should have been cut altogether.

Verdict

“Kinds of Kindness” was a unique viewing experience, at times more akin to a dream than a movie. At its best, it was a well-acted, absurd, thought-provoking drama. At its worst, it was gratuitous, exploitative, lacking in cohesion, and slow. As such, it was somewhat of a mixed bag, but one that was mostly fascinating and experimental.

“Kinds of Kindness” is currently playing in select theaters.

Note for viewers; the film portrayed several potentially triggering topics such as rape, suicide, animal cruelty, and miscarriage. Viewers should consider if they can handle seeing these topics before viewing.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars