Jesus E. Garcia

February 16, 2019

The Lobster: A Representation of Two Dystopian Extremes

Imagine yourself as a reactionary character in a dystopian tale, reacting rebelliously to the oppressions placed upon you, only to end up oppressed by opposite governances that are equally as domineering. This scenario is exactly the one in which Yorgos Lanthimos places the protagonist of his 2015 film, The Lobster. This film is a chilling representation of the inescapability of dystopian societies. It reminds us of how easily we can find ourselves leaning too far to the right or too far to the left with just about any concern, and demonstrates the rarity that is true neutrality. In just about every dystopian tale there seems to be a hero or heroine who is acting in rebellion to the forces that are oppressing him or her. In The Hunger Games, Katnis Everdeen becomes a symbol of rebellion against The Capitol; in Ender’s Game, Ender rebels against the adults who use the children for their foul plots; in Brave New World, the heroes rebel against the World State’s devilish plan to force productivity by forcing everyone to be happy; and this list goes on and on, demonstrating that one of the most common qualities in dystopian heroes is their inability to conform. Our protagonist in The Lobster is hardly different, only straying from the commonality in that his revolt against one dystopia merely lands him in an opposite but equally oppressive one. In this research, I attempt to closely examine the opposing dystopias and endeavor to craft a conclusion that suitably suggests a meaning for this inescapability.

The film’s protagonist experiences these extremes in two different locations: the hotel and the forest. In “Dystopia-En-Abyme: Analysis of The Lobster’s Narrative,” Vladana Ilic explains regarding the former location, “the inaugural scenes in which David is being checked in to the hotel are reminiscent of the process of a convict being admitted to a prison” (471). Ilic goes on to mention specific examples to support this claim. Some examples include the hotel clerk’s initial interrogation accompanied with a description of rules and goals of the singles' rehabilitation, the single room into which they are placed, the restrictions as to which sports can be played by singles compared to couples, and the stripping away of personal belongings (472). Immediately, the protagonist is indoctrinated into the oppressive environment that is the hotel. In this dystopian space, the ultimate goal of all the singles is to find a partner within 45 days. Regarding this particular space, Ethan Alter mentions in his review of the film, “this isn't an upbeat singles' retreat, the kind that might be sponsored by Match.com or JDate. No, David's life, and the life of everyone else in his group, hinges on whether or not he finds a mate.” To add to the oppressions placed upon singles at the hotel, they are supposed to match with partners through one common attribute. Both partners are supposed to share an attribute such as: a limp, a lisp, or as in the protagonist’s case, shortsightedness. This totalitarian governance is what eventually forces the protagonist to rebel and escape.

The polar opposite to totalitarianism is individualism, which is what the protagonist encounters in the forest to which he escapes. This is emphasized by Ilic when she states about the protagonist’s arrival to the forest, “when we finally reach it with David’s escape, we are disappointed to learn that the forest is the hotel’s symmetrical extreme, and its social arrangement is as oppressive as the one it opposes” (473). In this opposite to the hotel, individualism is embraced as the only appropriate way of life and any stray from the lifestyle is severely punished. For example, if loners are caught kissing their lips are cut with razors and they are forced to kiss one another with bloody lips, later unable to speak due to gauze being secured over their mouths. There are numerous occasions where this sense of individualism is demonstrated. The loners are expected to dig their own graves in the case of their death, and they dance alone listening to electronic music on his or her own Walkman (473). The hotel and forest counter each other in that one fortifies the oppression and the other counters and rejects it. Either way, in both spaces, “citizens are unreflective, docile bodies under a doctrine’s grip” (475).

What does this say about dystopias as a whole though? Regarding the difference between utopias and dystopias, Lyman Tower Sargent notes, “the eutopia says if you behave thus and so, you will be rewarded with this. The dystopia, in the tradition of the Jeremiad, says if you behave thus and so, this is how you will be punished” (8). In The Lobster it seems that no matter what route one takes, one is seldom rewarded, suggesting ultimately that dystopias are the effect of any attempt at utopia. In either space of the film, the protagonist is deprived of what he needs or desires. The individuals in the film are forced either to love or to not love, and there is no place in between. The film ends open-endedly and requires the viewer to make an inference as to whether the protagonist gouges out his eyes or does not. What one does not realize is that if he doesn’t do it, he will be an outcast, still unable to find what he desires or wants; if he does then he will simply find a life in the city and find himself “passively supporting the status quo” (Ilic 487). A dystopia without an escape represents the void that is between social extremes. It demonstrates how easily one can find him or herself in turmoil living according to either side. It represents the impossibility of utopian desires, and reinforces the belief that every utopia is another person’s dystopia.

Works Cited

Ilić, Vladana. "Dystopia-En-Abyme: Analysis of the Lobster’s Narrative." Етноантрополошки проблеми, vol. 12, no. 2, 2017, pp. 467-487.

Sargent, Lyman Tower. “The Three Faces of Utopianism Revisited.” Utopian Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, 1994, pp. 1–37. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20719246.

Lanthimos, Yorgos, director. The Lobster. Prime Video.

“Film Review: The Lobster.” TURTLES CAN FLY | Film Journal International, www.filmjournal.com/reviews/film-review-lobster .