Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- absurdist
- bleak
- deadpan
- arthouse movie night
- challenging cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an ambitious, bleakly comic anthology strengthened by its ensemble performances, especially Jesse Plemons, though its graphic morbidity and demanding structure divided viewers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, and Hong Chau portray different characters across three loosely interlaced stories.
The initials RMF recur across the three stories and provide a cryptic connective thread.
The protagonists are constrained by employers, partners, authorities, and belief systems that demand submission.
The stories frame graphic violence, misery, and extreme behavior through Lanthimos's bleakly funny, dispassionate tone.
Films like Kinds of Kindness, and why
The Lobster
shares an absurdist black-comedy mode, emotionally controlled performances, and grotesque examinations of social behavior
Dogtooth
shares Lanthimos's surreal social satire, uncomfortable power dynamics, and stylized deadpan cruelty
The House That Jack Built
shares an episodic structure, bleak humor, surreal reversals, and stories about coercion and human desperation
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
shares an anthology format, macabre absurdism, and darkly comic portrayals of extreme human behavior
Movie Details
- Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Release Date
- 2024-05-30
- Runtime
- 164 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (1368)
Cast
- Emma Stone
- Jesse Plemons
- Willem Dafoe
- Margaret Qualley
- Hong Chau
- Mamoudou Athie
- Joe Alwyn
- Hunter Schafer
- Yorgos Stefanakos
- Fadeke Adeola
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Kinds of Kindness about?
- Three unsettling stories use recurring actors and absurd rituals to probe obedience, identity, abuse, and the violent limits of human persuasion.
- What is Kinds of Kindness like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kinds of Kindness as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Kinds of Kindness violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Kinds of Kindness as graphic.
- What did critics think of Kinds of Kindness?
- Critics broadly found the film an ambitious, bleakly comic anthology strengthened by its ensemble performances, especially Jesse Plemons, though its graphic morbidity and demanding structure divided viewers.
- Which films are like Kinds of Kindness?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lobster, Dogtooth, The House That Jack Built, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
- How long is Kinds of Kindness?
- Kinds of Kindness runs 164 minutes.
- Where can I watch Kinds of Kindness?
- In United States, Kinds of Kindness is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
