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Start the Week With a Film: Is Kinds of Kindness Weirdly Compelling?

Yorgos Lanthimos’s Kinds of Kindness links three unsettling fables through a recurring ensemble. Here’s who may find its dark comedy compelling—and who may not.
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Kinds of Kindness is worth considering if you enjoy surreal, abrasive dark comedy and can settle into a long, deliberately unsettled triptych. Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2024 film runs 164 minutes and follows three separate fables, linked by recurring actors and anxieties about control, identity, and belonging. Its strangeness is the point—but it is not a conventional, neatly unified story, and reception has been divided.

What kind of film is Kinds of Kindness?

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, Kinds of Kindness is described in its official production notes as a “triptych fable.” It is an anthology of three stories rather than one continuous plot, with an ensemble cast appearing across the film’s separate situations. The cast includes Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Hunter Schafer. The Cannes-hosted production notes give the runtime as 164 minutes.

Three fables, three ruptures in ordinary life

  • A man who has been living without choice tries to regain control of his life.
  • A policeman becomes alarmed when his wife, missing at sea, returns seeming to be a different person.
  • A woman searches for a particular person with a special ability who is destined to become a spiritual leader.

The stories do not promise the comfort of a single plot tying every thread into a tidy explanation. Instead, the anthology revisits recognizable pressures—submission, dependence, selfhood, and the need to belong—from different angles. Repeated performers give the film a connective thread, while each fable resets the viewer’s expectations.

Why might it be weirdly compelling?

The film’s appeal is a matter of taste, not a guaranteed response. Its unnerving premises and dark comedy can make familiar anxieties feel strange again: What happens when someone else controls your choices? How well can you know another person? What will someone surrender to be accepted by a group? The triptych form lets the film approach those questions through sharply different scenarios without turning them into one straightforward lesson.

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#1 Best Overall
Kinds of Kindness - Blu-ray + Digital
  • Kinds of Kindness is a triptych fable following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life, a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person, and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

The ensemble also invites viewers to watch familiar actors shift into new roles and dynamics from one fable to the next. Lanthimos has described the value of absurdity in his approach: “Sometimes you just need to be ridiculous in order to achieve what we’re trying to achieve,” according to the Cannes-hosted production notes.

That approach can be invigorating if you like ambiguity and tonal discomfort. It can also feel cold or repetitive if you want warmth, conventional character development, or a plot that steadily resolves its mysteries. Jesse Plemons, one of the film’s stars, called it a “completely isolated, standalone experience” and said it “hasn’t been what I expected, in the best way” in The Walt Disney Company’s release announcement.

What did critics and audiences think?

Rotten Tomatoes displayed a 71% Tomatometer from 289 reviews and a 50% Popcornmeter from 250+ verified ratings when its title page was checked. Those scores are a dated platform snapshot, not a permanent measure or independent study. The page’s critics’ consensus called the film a “cold-hearted triptych brimming with caustic wit,” describing it as Lanthimos at his most misanthropic and bitingly funny.

The contrast between the critic and audience indicators is a useful reminder that this film’s pleasures are selective. Its caustic humor and surreal construction may suit viewers drawn to formal experiments, while its emotional chill and length may frustrate people looking for an accessible crowd-pleaser.

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Is it a good fit for your next film night?

Use these questions to decide whether the film’s demands sound appealing:

  • Do you enjoy unsettling comedy? If you like humor that is absurd, sharp, or uncomfortable, its tone may work for you. If you prefer gentle or reassuring comedy, it may not.
  • Are you happy with an anthology? The three stories are distinct rather than chapters in a conventional, steadily unified narrative.
  • Do you want ambiguity or clarity? The film’s unusual premises invite interpretation; it is a less obvious choice if you want mysteries explained and plot threads neatly resolved.
  • Do the director and ensemble interest you? Lanthimos’s approach and the recurring cast are central to the film’s appeal.
  • Can you set aside 164 minutes? The runtime makes it a substantial commitment for a weeknight watch.
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Where can you watch it?

Availability depends on your country and can change as streaming and rental rights shift. Rotten Tomatoes listed Fandango rental and purchase options when checked. Disney+ Singapore’s title page lists the film at 2 hours 44 minutes, but that regional listing does not establish availability in other countries. Check local streaming and rental services for current options.

The film opened theatrically on a limited basis on June 21, 2024, before a nationwide U.S. rollout on June 28, 2024, according to The Walt Disney Company. Those are historical release dates, not evidence of current screenings. Collectors may also be interested in the film’s soundtrack picture disc, which Searchlight’s official film page describes as featuring artwork and design by Vasilis Marmatakis; that page does not establish current stock or retailer availability.

Quick Recap

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Kinds Of Kindness [Blu-ray]
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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