Kinds of Kindness (2024), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Mamoudou Athie, Tessa Bourgeois, Joe Alwyn, and Hunter Schafer. The film is a collection of 3 stories where the cast plays different roles in each. Each story explores a different aspect of toxic love. The first follows a man (Plemons) whose every action is predetermined by his corporate boss (Dafoe). Unfortunately, when the man finally refuses his boss, he is immediately shunned. The man proceeds to take dangerous measures to win back the affection of his boss. The second story follows a man (Plemons) whose wife (Stone) is lost at sea. When she is rescued and returns home, the man is certain that the woman who returned is not his wife. In order to win back her husband’s affection, the wife attempts to grant him his every wish, no matter how absurd. In the final story, a member of a cult (Stone) attempts to locate their messiah so the leaders will accept her back after she is shunned from the congregation. 

Lanthimos asks a lot of his actors with the odd tone he tries to sustain. More often than not, their delivery/chemistry is awkward and flat. When it works it works well, but a third of the time it just feels like either bad acting or bad direction. Although the cast is filled with capable performers, it feels unnecessary for them to play multiple roles. None of their characters feel particularly unique from one another, causing their recurring presence to feel a bit grating. A creative choice such as this should only be implemented if the director plans on taking full advantage of the possibilities, but Lanthimos just doesn’t do that here. It feels like a choice made for the hell of it as opposed to one that supports the film’s overall themes. All this being said, the film’s tone is so profoundly strange that it is a bit impressive in terms of originality, it’s just never particularly enjoyable.

This is the kind of arthouse film that is packed to the brim with hidden meanings and complex themes; so much so that I can guarantee even the most seasoned filmgoer will be confused upon a first viewing. The thing is, the film is often such an unpleasant experience that it’s tough to want to rewatch. Many will tell me this film is deep, intelligent, and complex; but none of that matters when it fails at achieving the most important goal of any film: being enjoyable. Kinds of Kindness is unfortunately void of the feeling. You can pack your film with as much messaging and theme as you want, but if it sucks on the surface, I don’t owe it any more of my time. “Smart” and “thematically dense” don’t always equal a film that’s worth watching. This feeling is compounded by the fact that the overarching ideas being explored aren’t particularly original. A vague three-hour vignette film about toxic relationships sounds horrible on paper, and honestly, it is. 

Just because I didn’t like this film doesn’t mean I think any less of the director and cast. This just feels like an experiment that unfortunately is a failure. Emotionally, the film is a disaster, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t consistently compelled. Lanthimos still knows how to hold the viewer’s attention as well as any director in Hollywood even when the material is a bit nasty. 

Overall, this is an admittedly complex art film that seems to have no intention of actually being enjoyed. Most audiences will turn their head in disgust, and that includes the viewers who usually like this kind of thing. That being said, when one sets their emotional reaction aside, there’s a lot to love in terms of craft. Although I never enjoyed the film, it’s original, daring, and somewhat thought-provoking (even if they’re not the kinds of thoughts one would like to mull over). Many will hate it, but I suspect a few may adopt it as a kind of dark cult classic. C+