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Kinds of Kindness

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Kinds of Kindness
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYorgos Lanthimos
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobbie Ryan
Edited byYorgos Mavropsaridis
Music byJerskin Fendrix
Production
companies
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) (Cannes)
  • June 21, 2024 (2024-06-21) (United States)
  • June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28) (Ireland and United Kingdom)
Running time
164 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million[2]
Box office$16.4 million[3][4]

Kinds of Kindness is a 2024 absurdist horror anthology film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos from a screenplay he co-wrote with Efthimis Filippou.[5][6] It stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer.

Kinds of Kindness had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2024, where Plemons won the Best Actor award. It was released theatrically in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on June 21, 2024, and in Ireland and the United Kingdom on June 28, 2024. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $16 million worldwide.

Plot

[edit]

Structured as a "triptych fable",[7] Kinds of Kindness consists of three distinct but loosely connected stories:

"The Death of R.M.F."

[edit]

Robert Fletcher follows every order from his domineering boss and lover, Raymond. Raymond controls every aspect of Robert's life, including setting him up with his wife Sarah, buying their house and car, and dictating when they can have sexual intercourse. One day, Raymond orders Robert to crash his car to kill "R.M.F.", a man known only by his initials. They survive with minor injuries. When Raymond orders him to try again, Robert confesses his fear and unwillingness to try again, but Raymond insists. Robert refuses again, which angers Raymond, causing Raymond to fire Robert, stating Robert is "free now". Robert's life then falls apart. A prized smashed John McEnroe tennis racquet, given by Raymond as a gift, is taken from his house. In his despondence, Robert confesses to Sarah that Raymond paid doctors to supply abortifacients with the intention of unknowingly posing as miscarriages and ovarian issues; Sarah abandons him, quitting her job and disappearing. Desperate, Robert grovels to Raymond for another chance but is aggressively rebuffed.

While trying to regain Raymond's respect, Robert meets Rita, a woman whose life Robert quickly discovers is also being controlled by Raymond. After Rita was also tasked with crashing into and killing R.M.F., she ends up in the hospital, with R.M.F. in critical condition. In a last-ditch effort, Robert kidnaps R.M.F., dumping him in the hospital valet drop-off, and repeatedly running him over with his car and killing him. Robert then arrives at Raymond's mansion. Robert embraces Raymond and Vivian, Raymond's live-in lover, on the couch. Raymond states that he knew that Robert would not disappoint him.

"R.M.F. Is Flying"

[edit]

Police officer Daniel is mourning the disappearance of his wife Liz, a marine biologist who went missing at sea, when he receives news that she has been rescued in a helicopter piloted by R.M.F. Liz miraculously returns unharmed to Daniel, but many things about her are strange; her behavior and interests seem to be the opposite of how she was before, their pet cat acting aggressive towards her, and her feet no longer fit in her shoes, leading Daniel to become suspicious of her. Amid his paranoia about Liz, she tells Daniel she is pregnant. He orders her to leave and threatens arrest if she refuses. Daniel's paranoia escalates during a traffic stop, where he acts erratically, shoots a passenger in the hand and licks the wound. As a result, he is suspended from the police force and prescribed antipsychotics.

Liz recounts to her father a dream she experienced the previous night, in which dogs were the dominant species and kept humans like Liz as pets, being fed chocolate, a food she previously hated but ate due to there being large quantities of such. She concludes that it is better to rely on something consistently available rather than something that depletes each day. Homebound and still unconvinced of Liz's identity, Daniel starts starving himself and then orders Liz to mutilate herself in various ways. First, Daniel asks for one of Liz's fingers or thumb to eat. Liz then severs her thumb and serves it to Daniel to eat. Daniel then tells his doctor Liz mutilated herself on her own volition and claims she began punching herself in the stomach and face. At a gynecologist's office, Liz is found to have miscarried, and claims that Daniel in fact hit her after she talked back, blaming it on the antipsychotics. Later, Daniel demands more food, suggesting her liver. Liz complies, cuts out her liver, and dies. Another Liz arrives at Daniel's door, and they happily embrace. Over the credits, footage of dogs living like humans is shown.

"R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"

[edit]

Emily and Andrew are members of a sex cult led by the enigmatic Omi and Aka. The cult's ritual for cleansing involves sweating out "toxins" in a high-temperature sauna if accused of infidelity with anyone other than Omi or Aka, with Aka licking the sweat from their navel to determine if they are cleansed. Emily and Andrew are specifically looking for a woman with the ability to reanimate the dead. They examine a candidate named Anna, whom they find to be unsuccessful. Emily secretly makes regular visits to her estranged husband, Joseph, and their daughter. Later at the headquarters, Omi gives Emily and Andrew information on another possible candidate, only for them to discover that she is already dead. Emily believes that the woman they are looking for appeared to her in a dream. While Emily and Andrew are eating at a restaurant, a woman named Rebecca, who resembles the woman Emily dreamed about, approaches them and says she knows who they are. She suggests that her twin sister, Ruth, would be a perfect candidate. Andrew brushes this off, saying that one of the requirements—that the candidate's twin must be deceased—was not met.

During a visit to her old home, Emily runs into Joseph and their daughter as she is leaving, and Joseph invites Emily to visit them again. She does, only for Joseph to drug her drinks and rape her while she is unconscious. The morning after, Omi, Aka, and Andrew arrive at Emily's old home and take her to be "tested". She is then expelled from the cult after being found to be "contaminated". As part of a plan to return to the cult, she decides to see Ruth. Before leaving, she visits Rebecca, who called earlier to say that she would be able to meet one of the requirements. Rebecca kills herself by diving into an empty pool during Emily's visit, fulfilling the prophecy. After visiting Ruth's veterinarian practice and witnessing the spontaneous healing of a dog she examined, Emily knocks her out and brings her to the morgue, where she orders Ruth to bring R.M.F.'s body back to life. Ruth is able to do so, and Emily dances energetically outside her car in celebration. Speeding to get to the cult's headquarters, Emily becomes distracted and crashes the car, killing Ruth.

In a mid-credits scene, R.M.F. eats a sandwich and spills ketchup on his shirt. A waitress gives him a napkin to clean himself up.

Cast

[edit]
  • Emma Stone as:[8]
    • Rita ("The Death of R.M.F"), Raymond's employee whose life is scheduled similarly to Robert's
    • Liz ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), Daniel's wife who has been missing at sea for some time
    • Emily ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), a cultist who searches for a woman with the power to revive the dead
  • Jesse Plemons as:[8]
    • Robert ("The Death of R.M.F"), a man whose boss schedules every aspect of his life
    • Daniel ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), a police officer who suspects his wife, after returning from being missing, is an imposter
    • Andrew ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), a cultist paired with Emily
  • Willem Dafoe as:[8]
    • Raymond ("The Death of R.M.F"), Robert's boss who obsessively controls the lives of everyone around him
    • George ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), Liz's father
    • Omi ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), a sex cult leader
  • Margaret Qualley as:[8]
    • Vivian ("The Death of R.M.F"), Raymond's wife
    • Martha ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), Neil's wife
    • Ruth and Rebecca ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), identical twins, respectively a veterinarian and someone who believes her sister is the woman the cult is looking for
  • Hong Chau as:[8]
    • Sarah ("The Death of R.M.F"), Robert's wife
    • Sharon ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), the wife of Liz's colleague
    • Aka ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), Omi's wife
  • Joe Alwyn as:[8]
    • a collectibles appraiser ("The Death of R.M.F")
    • Jerry ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), an intoxicated car passenger
    • Joseph ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), Emily's estranged husband
  • Mamoudou Athie as:[8]
    • Will ("The Death of R.M.F"), Sarah's swim coach
    • Neil ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), Daniel's best friend and partner
    • a morgue nurse ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich")
  • Hunter Schafer as Anna ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"), a woman that Emily and Andrew test to see if she can revive the dead
  • Yorgos Stefanakos as R.M.F., Raymond's employee ("The Death of R.M.F."), a helicopter pilot ("R.M.F. Is Flying"), and a dead man ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich")
  • Jerskin Fendrix as a bar piano player (“The Death of R.M.F.”)
  • Merah Benoit as Emily's daughter ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich")
  • Krystal Alayne Chambers as Susan, a cult member who is tested in a strange ritual ("R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich")

Production

[edit]

The film's original title was R.M.F. The title was later changed to And, and then was changed again to Kinds of Kindness in December 2023.[9] The initials R.M.F are not in reference to anything, according to Yorgos Lanthimos,[10] who co-wrote the script with Efthimis Filippou. The film marks the fifth collaboration between Lanthimos and Filippou, following Dogtooth (2009), Alps (2011), The Lobster (2015), and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017).[11] In September 2022, Searchlight Pictures agreed to distribute the film, which Lanthimos would direct under development with Element Pictures and Film4.[12] Cast members were revealed soon after, including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, and Mamoudou Athie.[12][13][14][15] Hunter Schafer had a cameo in the film.[16]

Filming was scheduled to take place in New Orleans, Louisiana, from October 24 to December 16, 2022.[17][18] The three stories in the triptych were filmed back to back and each story took three weeks to be completed.[19][20] Jerskin Fendrix composed the film's score, marking his second collaboration with Lanthimos after Poor Things (2023).

Release

[edit]

Kinds of Kindness had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in-competition on May 17, 2024.[21][22] It had a limited theatrical release in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on June 21, 2024, before expanding nationwide and to Ireland and the United Kingdom on June 28.[23]

Home media

[edit]

Kinds of Kindness was released on VOD on August 27, 2024, and on Blu-ray and DVD on October 8, 2024.[24][25]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Kinds of Kindness grossed $5 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $16.4 million.[3][4]

In the United States and Canada, the film made $377,289 in its opening weekend from five theaters in New York and Los Angeles; its average of $75,457 per screen was the best of 2024.[26][27] Expanding to 490 theaters the following weekend, the film made $1.5 million, finishing in 10th.[28]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 275 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "A cold-hearted triptych with caustic wit, Kinds of Kindness is Yorgos Lanthimos at his most misanthropic – and bitingly funny."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 58 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[30]

Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com praised Plemons' acting, stating: "Plemons giving not just one but at least two and maybe three of the year's best performances goes a long way to holding Kinds of Kindness together."[31]

Nick Rogers[32] from Midwest Film Journal[33] stated: "The conceit of Kinds of Kindness is that its ensemble cast...all play different roles in each story...If you can roll with often graphically violent, morbidly funny misery, Kinds of Kindness will have you keeping your head up."[34]

Accolades

[edit]
List of awards and nominations for Kinds of Kindness
Award or film festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 25 May 2024 Palme d'Or Yorgos Lanthimos Nominated [35][36]
Best Actor Jesse Plemons Won
Sydney Film Festival 16 June 2024 Best Film Kinds of Kindness Nominated [37]
Miskolc International Film Festival 14 September 2024 Emeric Pressburger Prize Nominated [38]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kinds of Kindness (18)". BBFC. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. ^ Thompson, Anne (May 15, 2024). "'Kinds of Kindness' and 'Poor Things' Producers See Hope for Film Resurgence". IndieWire. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Kinds of Kindness". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Kinds of Kindness". The Numbers. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 17, 2024). "Kinds of Kindness review – sex, death and Emma Stone in Lanthimos's disturbing triptych". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 16, 2024). "'Kinds of Kindness': 'Kinds Of Kindness', Yorgos Lanthimos' Latest, Gets Six-Minute Ovation At Cannes Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Kinds of Kindness". Searchlight Pictures. June 21, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Kinds of Kindness Production Notes PDF". Searchlight Pictures. 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  9. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (December 1, 2023). "Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's Latest Film 'AND' Is Renamed 'Kinds of Kindness'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Kinds of Kindness Director Yorgos Lanthimos Reveals Original Movie Title". Sirius XM. June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 14, 2024). "Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's Next Movie Kinds of Kindness Sets Summer Release Date". Variety. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (September 29, 2022). "Yorgos Lanthimos Sets And As New Film At Searchlight Pictures; Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe And Margaret Qualley To Star". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Donnelly, Matt (October 12, 2022). "Hong Chau Joins Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons in Yorgos Lanthimos Film And (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  14. ^ Vlessing, Etan (October 27, 2022). "Joe Alwyn Joins Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos' And (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 31, 2022). "Mamoudou Athie Joins Yorgos Lanthimos' And At Searchlight". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  16. ^ Nylander, Lynette (February 28, 2023). "Leaning In: Hunter Schafer". Elle. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Productions". Film New Orleans. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Lavallée, Eric (January 19, 2023). "Top 200 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2023: #11. Yorgos Lanthimos' AND". Ion Cinema. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  19. ^ Thompson, Jaden (March 27, 2024). "'Kinds of Kindness' Trailer: Emma Stone Reunites With Yorgos Lanthimos After 'Poor Things' Oscar Win for Another Wild Tale". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  20. ^ Canfield, David (May 6, 2024). "Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone Run Wild in 'Poor Things' Follow-Up 'Kinds of Kindness'". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  21. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "Ali Abbasi's Trump Drama 'The Apprentice,' Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Kinds of Kindness' Set for Cannes Competition". The Hollywood Reporter. April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Shoard, Catherine (March 27, 2024). "Kinds of Kindness: first trailer released for Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's next film". The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Lammers, Tim. "Emma Stone's 'Kinds Of Kindness' Gets Digital Streaming Premiere Date". Forbes. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  25. ^ Tingley, Anna (August 6, 2024). "'Kinds of Kindness' Gets Digital, Blu-ray Release Dates, With Bonus Features and Deleted Scenes (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  26. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 24, 2024). "Inside Out 2 Record Second Weekend For Animated Pic Bigger At $101M – Monday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  27. ^ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 25". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 30, 2024). "A Quiet Place: Day One Easily Scares Up $53M Franchise Opening Record, But Inside Out 2 Has Last Laugh With Third No. 1 Win At $57M+ – Sunday AM Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  29. ^ "Kinds of Kindness". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 13, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  30. ^ "Kinds of Kindness". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  31. ^ Tallerico, Brian (June 26, 2024). "Kinds of Kindness movie review (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Nick Rogers". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 1, 2024. The State Journal-Register
  33. ^ "Midwest Film Journal". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 1, 2024. Midwest Film Journal is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Aly Caviness, Evan Dossey, Joshua Polanski, Nick Rogers.
  34. ^ Rogers, Nick (October 31, 2024). "On Blu-ray: Kinds of Kindness". Midwest Film Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  35. ^ "The 77th Festival de Cannes winners' list". Cannes Film Festival. May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  36. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (April 22, 2024). "Oliver Stone, Lou Ye, Michel Hazanavicius Films & 'The Count Of Monte Cristo' Among New Titles Added To Cannes 2024 Official Selection". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  37. ^ Rosser, Michael (May 7, 2024). "Sydney Film Festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  38. ^ "The 20th Anniversary Edition of CineFest Miskolc IFF Ready to Take Off". Film New Europe. August 31, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
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