I first noticed Yorgos Lanthimos when I watched his brilliant “Dogtooth” in 2009. Never could I have imagined that this Greek weirdo would break out into the Hollywood studio system like he did. 14 years later, he’s had two Best Picture nominated films (“The Favourite” and “Poor Things”) and is one of the hottest filmmakers around.
His latest one is called “Kinds of Kindness” and it’s set up for a June 21 release. A trailer was just released by Searchlight. You get a good sense of the film, in terms of vibe and storytelling.
“Kind of Kindness,” is an anthology composed of three short stories with the same actors playing different parts in each story. It feels like three separate films.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where I reviewed and gave it a “B+” grade. Yorgos Lanthimos’s unnerving, amusing and non-conformist “Kinds of Kindness” It is surreal work, set in an alternate reality where ultra-realism and fantasy co-exist. It helps that Lanthimos’ longtime screenwriting collaborator, Efthimis Filippo, is back here.
The cast of ‘Kindness’ includes Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schafer. The film was shot while Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” was in the final stages of VFX adjustments. The post-production process took so long that Lanthimos decided to just shoot another film.
“Kinds of Kindness” was shot in October 2022 in New Orleans. Production wrapped in December of that year. Lanthimos regular Robbie Ryan is back as cinematographer. The Greek filmmaker is coming off winning the Golden Lion last year for “Poor Things”.
Exarchopoulos will of course forever be known for her lead turn opposite Léa Seydoux in Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme d’Or winner “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” released in 2013.