Nearly a year sinceYorgos Lanthimosdebuted his Oscar-nominated darlingPoor Thingsat the Venice International Film Festival, his follow-up film is coming home.Kinds of Kindnesshas set an August 27 release date on digital platforms with Blu-ray and DVD copies of the absurdist black comedy anthology hitting store shelves on October 8. It marks his fourth collaboration withEmma Stone, who stars oppositeJesse Plemmonsand her on-screen father from Lanthimos’s previous filmWillem Dafoein a triptych fable that has been described as both laugh-out-loud funnyand deeply unsettling.
Kinds of Kindnessfollows a stacked ensemble of starsas separate characters in three different storiesset in a dystopian reality all united in their theme of exploring the concept of kindness. One follows a man trying to break free from his destiny and forge his own path, while another follows a police officer whose wife re-enters his life after supposedly dying at sea, albeit with a different personality, and the final segment tracks a woman driven to find a special individual with an ability that will one day make them an unparalleled spiritual leader. The film is Lanthimos’s first contemporary project sinceThe Killing of a Sacred Deerand featureshis signature penchant for absurdismand imaginative storytelling about human behavior under different settings and circumstances.
In addition to the trio of Stone, Plemons, and Dafoe,Hong Chau,Margaret Qualley,Joe Alwyn,Mamoudou Athie, andHunter Schaferalso star in Lanthimos’s latest, which he co-wrote with his regular collaboratorEfthimis Filippou. The star-studded ensemble helped power the film to a strong 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, includingan 8/10 from Collider’sChase Hutchinsonfollowing its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Plemons scored the Best Actor award at the event for his performance, while Lanthimos was up for the coveted Palme d’Or, though he ultimately fell short againstSean Baker’sAnora. On the financial end, however, the filmcouldn’t keep up the momentum ofPoor Things, but it did pull in $13.2 million globally.
Explore ‘Kinds of Kindness’ With New Special Features
Included in the home release of this package of three stories are also several bonus features to explore the creation of Lanthimos’s bizarre new world. Chief among that content for those who want to dig deep is the making-of featurette “It Takes All Kinds: The Vision of Kinds of Kindness” which will go behind the scenes with the cast and crew. A few lingering questions from the film will be answered, includinghow the stylish costumes, the sets, music, and cinematography all complement the themes of the stories and, perhaps,what “R.M.F.” actually stands for. It’s billed as a direct window into Lanthimos’s mindset while creating one of 2024’s weirdest films. Also featured are two deleted scenes titled “Robert Ignores the SatNav” and “Liv Isn’t Recognized” that givea peek at what didn’t make it onto the big screen.
Kinds of Kindnesscomes home on digital platforms on August 27. DVD and Blu-ray releases will be available on October 8. Check out the trailer below.
Kinds of Kindness
A man seeks to break free from his predetermined path, a cop questions his wife’s demeanor after her return from a supposed drowning and a woman’s quest to locate an extraordinary individual prophesied to become a renowned spiritual guide.
