Expands writer-director Yrgos Lanthimos's linguistic palette to include English, and widens his hermetic vision from a modest suburban household to an imperious resort, where recently dumped schlub David (Colin Farrell) joins a group of lonelyhearts with exactly one thing in common: they have 45 days to find a romantic replacement or they will be transformed into the animal of their choosing — in David’s case, the titular marine edible. At first, Lanthimos finds much humor to mine in his hallucinating amalgamation of mandatory Herbalife faculty retreat and well-regulated eHarmony seminar. But surreal signification can buy only so much good will. (One of the most dangerous rules of the game asks that guests participate in random hunts for homeless people.) With love always just around the corner, and our hero forever unable to make the necessary turn, David ultimately joins up with the hunter’s targets, a rebel bloc known as The Loners who operate in diametric opposition to all things romantic. It’s here that David encounters the forbidden object of his affection, a nameless woman (Rachel Weisz) who is instantly smitten by him. This change of direction trifles away the crazed satiric setup in favor of a more traditional saga of romantic survival of the fittest. (2016) — Scott Marks
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