Yorgos Lanthimos, known for his unsettling and surreal films, gives us a nearly three-hour-long anthology in Kinds of Kindness, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons, and currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Drawing from the thematic and stylistic elements that defined his earlier works like The Lobster, Lanthimos presents a challenging yet audacious exploration of the limits of autonomy and the paradoxes inherent in our desire for freedom.

Kinds of Kindness comprises three distinct yet thematically linked segments: The Death of R.M.F., R.M.F. is Flying, and R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich. Each segment explores different facets of control, from the external forces that govern our lives to the inner struggles that arise when we try to assert our independence. The connecting thread between the segments? A recurring character named R.M.F., played by Yorgos Stefanakos.

The Death of R.M.F.

In The Death of R.M.F., Jesse Plemons stars as Robert Fletcher, a corporate worker who is micromanaged by his boss, Raymond (Willem Dafoe), to an absurd degree. Raymond’s control over Robert extends to every aspect of his life, including his marriage to Sarah (Hong Chau), whom he is instructed to drug to prevent pregnancy. The segment reaches its climax when Raymond orders Robert to murder a man with the initials R.M.F., which forces Robert to confront the extent of his own powerlessness.

Plemons captures the quiet despair of a man who has never truly been in charge of his life, and his descent into madness is horrifying and you cannot help but sympathise with him. Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou’s script balances the bizarreness of the situations with the deep anguish that the state of affairs triggers in its protagonist, making The Death of R.M.F. the most satisfying segment of the anthology.

R.M.F. is Flying

In the second segment, R.M.F. is Flying, the focus shifts from external control to the inner struggles of its protagonist Daniel (played by Plemons again), who is grieving the death of his wife Liz (Emma Stone) in a helicopter accident (the pilot is R.M.F). When she returns mysteriously, Daniel becomes obsessed with proving that Liz is not who she claims to be. This leads him down a path of increasingly extreme and destructive behaviour.

R.M.F. is Flying is a fascinating take on grief and the extent to which one can go to maintain one’s sense of identity and control. Plemons once again shines as a man on the edge, but the segment ultimately feels underdeveloped as though it was included more for its thematic resonance than for its narrative strength.

R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich

The final segment, R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich, brings the anthology to a bizarre conclusion. Here, Lanthimos explores the theme of control through the lens of a cult, led by the enigmatic Omi (Daniel Dafoe) and Aka (Chau), who are on a quest to find a woman capable of reversing death. Plemons and Emma Stone return as cult members Andrew and Emily, who become obsessed with a woman named Rebecca (Margaret Qualley), believing her to be the key to their mission. And the corpse they want back from the dead is none other than R.M.F.

This segment is visually rich, with Lanthimos fully embracing the surreal and disturbing elements that have become his trademark. The cult’s obsession with control, both over life and death, serves as a powerful metaphor for the destructive nature of absolute power.

The anthology format, while ambitious, also poses a challenge. The three segments often feel like individual films that are unable to stand alone, resulting in a narrative that is at times fragmented and incoherent. However, what the film lacks in cohesion, it makes up for in its boldness and the strength of its performances, particularly from Plemons, who delivers a tour de force in multiple roles. It is no surprise that Plemons won the best actor trophy at Cannes Film Festival this year for his performance in Kinds of Kindness.