 A film in three minutes, The Lobster. According to French novelist Georges Sond, there is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. So, with that in mind, what choice would you make if you were about to be turned into an animal because you were unable to find your one true love? That might sound like a bizarre situation to find yourself in, but in the world of your Goss Lanthimos' The Lobster, it's actually quite ordinary. Set in a modern dystopia where human beings are forced by law to be couples, the story follows David, played by Colin Farrell, who travels to a remote hotel in search of a relationship after his wife leaves him. The rules of the hotel are that residents have 45 days to find a new partner, or they will be turned into an animal of their choice. David's choice is a lobster. The hotel manager, played by Olivia Coleman, enforces the establishment's strict policies with brutality and constantly expouses the joys of partnership with propagandist zeal. But once David escapes from the staff's clutches, his newfound freedom comes with its own terrible costs, especially once he believes that he's found his soulmate. If it sounds like to you that the plot of the lobster is weird, then you wouldn't be alone. Both the unique setting and bizarre behaviour of the characters create a disjointed surrealist experience upon first viewing. A large majority of the dialogue is delivered in a brisk, almost robotic tone, where true human emotions are buried by the constraints of a society where enforced monogamy is paramount. And yet it's this same artificial behaviour that actually makes the film more a disturbing comedic drama than psychological horror. Colin Farrell, who gained £40 for the role, achieves arguably the most vulnerable performance of his career, playing the disheveled David with a sweet, pathetic quality. But the real scene stealer is Olivia Coleman as the hotel manager, with her curt language and no nonsense demeanour fitting perfectly with the hotel's totalitarian system. What it means to be with a person for love is codified and twisted into something cold and regimented. The nature of relationships and the reasons why we as humans try to dedicate our lives to the pursuit of them is subverted by the oppressive regimented order of the hotel and its numerous rules, which in turn provides moments of hilarity such as when a child is suddenly produced for one of the hotel's new couples in order for them to remain together. The film's ending acts as a satirical statement on how our real society views single people in a world where the obtainment of love is so often promoted as being the ultimate state of being. But it also contains a heart-breaking message about what the actual value we place in our partners is when we believe, rightly or wrongly, that we have something that connects us to them. Because as David and us as viewers slowly discover, there are fates worse than being turned into an animal of your choice. But if the world of the lobster and its final message is just too oppressive for you, I simply ask you again, what animal would you pick? Because a lobster is an excellent choice.