Finding Humanity in Yorgos Lanthimos Films

In this episode of The Breakthrough Reel, we step into the unsettling, emotional, and deeply human world of Yorgos Lanthimos.

Afer watching Bugonia, I found myself pulled into a story about control, consequenses, and what it means to be human. From the haunting film Killing of a Sacred Deer, to the liberating journey of Poor Things,

Thank you for pressing play.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

What's up, everybody, and welcome to the Breakthrough Reel. Thank you for Placing Play as always. Thank you for being here with me. I'm your host, James Lee. And as always, I want to know what you guys have been up to, mostly what's been entertaining you. And what are you watching? Me? Um, I've been inspired to go back to watch an old show that I did start watching and fell out of. And that show is True Blood. I know we got some True Blood heads out there who love this show. I actually have gone on TikTok and seen people discuss it and talk about it. So I know there's some fans out there. Um, I was inspired to go back from watching or listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Rewatcher, with Ash, Alina and Mikey, who are just so fucking hilarious talking about each episode and are like the best narrators ever about this show. So I went back to watch, and I am now in season four of True Blood. Remember in season three, we were introduced to not only vampires, then we got werewolves, and then we got shapeshifters, and then we got witches, and then we had uh remember like Jason's girlfriend contained to a panther? I I so so much going on that show. Oh, and then what really made me drop out was the whole fairy thing. I was all like, I'm leaving, I'm done. Bye guys, but I I'm really enjoying it this time around. Um, it's really fun to see. Like, I you know, I'm a big fan of character growth and evolving, and that's what these characters are doing, and it's it's fun to watch, even with all the crazy shit that's happening in this show. Um, I'm in season four, like I said, and I think it goes up to seven seasons, and it's already off the fucking chain, and I can't wait to see where it goes, actually, and what the fuck it's gonna take me through in these next few seasons. But speaking of weird, that's kind of the wavelength I've been on lately with movies. Um not it's not your typical movies. Um, I'm talking about the kind where you kind of just like finish and you sit there and you're just like, What did I just watch? Um, and that led me to Jargo's Lanthamos, which I did not know his name until I pretty much put together that he did poor things, which is gonna be a movie discuss um briefly in this podcast, and Killing of a Sacred Deer, another movie I'm gonna discuss briefly. Um and I I did not make that connection until today when I watched Bugonia. And I was like, who is this guy? And I feel like the only thread, no, no, no, I don't want to say that. What makes his movie so different is these weird characters that he writes and creates, the way they pause or stammer or speak or just their their demeanor. He really, really, really challenges actors, and you can tell, because I can't say these people that these awesome actors are playing aren't real. Because I feel like we've seen them before, they're just not us, and they're just not these actors. So to see these actors reach for the fucking stars with these performances are is just incredible. Like his movies don't hold your hand at all, they don't explain themselves, they just drop you in and let you feel uncomfortable. And that's how I felt, especially when I watched Poor Things a couple years ago. I remember going back and telling friends, like, I don't know, like it made me feel so uncomfortable watching that movie, you know. But I like it. Good uncomfortable that I went back and watched, I've since watched it two more times. And now, if I were writing out my top 50 movies, like poor things would definitely be on there. It's to me, it's incredible, you know, especially as a person who really is trying to act and actively audition right now and would love to bite into such a meaty role that a director like Yargo Slanthimos creates with his movies. Um, underneath all that, I started noticing something. Everyone in these films is dealing with control. I feel like that's the through line with these three films we're gonna discuss. Um, with Bugonia, with Poor Things, and with Killing of a Sacred Deer. It's the notice the theme in each movie. But it's a different kind of control. Um, I'm gonna shout out another podcast. I also listen to Now I'm Playing. I've been listening to Now Playing Podcast for gosh, for six years now. I even go back and rerun some of their episodes. They really taught me how to appreciate film and look deeper into film. And one of the things I learned from them is to look between the lines. And even the most fantastical movies, there's a message going on. There's something to learn going on. There's a something human going on, no matter what, that we as people can relate to. So I love that. I that's the one thing I noticed in these movies is that control is the thing, dealing with control. So I like I said, I literally just watched Bugonia today. It was like an expectation versus reality thing. Um, side note also, I'm not the type of person who I will let things fester. I don't run and see, I can't say that either. There's some things that will trigger me to run and see them right away. There's some things I'll let festering just come to me. Um, I've heard about Bugonia. I've seen, you know, it was nominated for Oscars and everything like that. So I've I've heard the buzz, I've seen some of my favorite TikTokers talk about it, you know, in movie reviews. But I take all that's and you know, I just hold it tight. But what really got me is that it's streaming on Peacock right now. It was not even the preview was nothing that I thought the movie was gonna be. I I really did not know what the movie was about. Um, but for for it to the movie was a roller coaster. Like I told you guys before, I'm very vocal when a movie has me by the throat. And this one got out of me a lot of oh my gods, covering my cheeks, um, holy shits, like all of it. I thought this movie was gonna be one type of movie, and it completely flit on me. Um, the whole time I'm watching, I'm like, wait, is she actually an alien? Yes, an alien. Because this movie is about Jesse Plyment's character who is Teddy and his friend Don. And let's give a special shout out to Aiden Delvis, who plays Don in this movie. He plays like a neurodivergent character, and I literally had to look up to see whether he was neurodivergent because he's so good and he pulls at your heartstrings, and you just feel so sad for this character the whole time. Ugh, he's just so good in it. It's one of those things like, wow, like that. But everybody, everybody's acting their ass off like in this movie. But I feel like that's what Yargos pulls out of these actors, directing them, you know. It's all these movies we're gonna talk about, they the performances are just fucking perfection. Pulls me in, has me by the throat the whole time. But like I said, you know, two men decide, you know, that she's an alien, so they kidnap her, take them back to her house, and they're just trying to prove it the whole time that she's an alien. And the the whole time I'm watching, both sides are so convincing. I'm like, okay, Jesse Fleming's character is just crazy. And then I'm like, is Emma Stone's character an alien? It was so good. It just had me teetering the whole time, you know. They they act on that belief and she loses control of her own reality. Because if you see her reality, um, she's a like a Jeff Ezos character, just rich as fuck. Um, she wakes up in a beautiful home, learns kickboxing, does yoga out on her beautiful terrace, just a beautiful fucking life, you know? And then you see Jesse's life, and it was one of those scenes when they're like juxtaposed to each other, and you see her getting up in her beautiful, rich life, and him waking up in his tattered home. And yeah, yeah, you just started putting things together that Jesse is a little loose. And he also works like in her factory because she's like the big CEO of this big company. Uh, it's like a la Amazon, you know what I mean? Um, so she loses control of her own reality by being kidnapped and bought into Jesse's life. Um, and there's a part that stuck with me because they weren't questioning themselves, they were just so convinced that she was. And it made me think, like, how dangerous is that when somebody believes something about you so strongly, you know, they don't even see you anymore. The level of tension in this movie, because you think Jesse is just someone with a mental issue. He believes in aliens, he believes that she can bring him to her mothership that she's here to visit and destroy humanity. And he talks to her at first, and then there's a slap, and then there's electrical shock, and then a gun comes out. It's so like you start being fearful, so fearful for Emma Stone's character because Jesse Plymouth's character, Teddy, is just so unstable. And that was a shocker. I did not think you would even get violent. But one thing, another thing these movies have in common is there's always a surprising violent scene that just makes you gas. And this one definitely made me gasp. And to me, it's also, you know, a talk about um feeling powerless, feeling small, and you know, corporate greed also, which, you know, is human. Everyone can relate to that. You know, we see the the fight and discussions between being a Jeff ASOS and being a worker in his factories, and the the difference in that and feeling enslaved to these big corporations. And I really thought that that was what this was mostly about. But no, Jesse and Don, Don more convinced because of Teddy's character has told him a million times that Emma Stone's character is an alien. Um, but that that hit me because people do that in real life. They just convince themselves of this one thing. But not the alien part, but deciding who you are without really knowing you. And once that happens, you kind of lose control of your own narrative. Um, and the idea of control only gets darker, you know, from there. The movie is a wild ride, guys. I definitely, definitely please watch it. I'm not gonna do any spoilers here with any of these movies because I really want you to sit down and watch it. Um, I'm just gonna say the end of Bugonia had me mouth agape. So fucking good. Um, the killing of a sacred deer. Um, I watched that a couple years ago. Um, Barry Kiogen was getting a lot of attention at the time. So I was like, who is this guy? Like he's everywhere, and I wanted to see some of his early work. And everybody started talking about him and killing of a sacred deer. Every time I will look at something with Barry Kiogen. And his performance is fucking amazing in this. He's so young and so fucking creepy. But this one, guys, such an uncomfortable space in a completely different way boo from Bugonia, though. It's such a cold film. Like, I say that in a way of just the delivery, some of the characters. Nicole Kidman's character. Nicole Kidman's great. Like, I can't reiterate how great the performances are in this film, but they speak almost with no feeling and kind of robotic, and it takes you out of it in a good way. It's just like, what is happening? Why are they speaking to each other? They're they're a family. Why are they speaking to each other this way? You know? Um, and I will warn you, um, this is one of those movies I can't watch a lot. It's not something you put on all the time because it's the ending is very disturbing. But I and I accept those kind of movies. I love those kind of movies. I love oblique endings sometimes and a sad ending, or when your favorite character dies and you have to cry and mourn about it. I I guess I'm a masochist in that way, but this one's a rough one. Um, it's not, it's not a loud movie at all. It's not chaotic, it's just quiet and disturbing. Because now we're not talking about controlling a person in this movie. We're talking about, you know, control over consequences. Colin Colin Farrell's character did some fucked up shit, and this is him facing the consequences of the decision he made. But unfortunately, his family is pulled into the consequences also, and the the the decision he has to make is fucking bonkers. You I I won't tell you what the decision is because you have to watch to see, but it's fucking crazy, guys. It's to see what this family goes through is just fucking nuts. Um, there's this particularly a spaghetti scene. Is Perry Keelgan's character is seeing a play to spaghetti and giving this monologue about how someone told him that he eats a spaghetti just like his dad. He takes it, he stabs it, and he twirls it around his fork and he stuffs it in his mouth. But then he said he found out that's how everybody eats their spaghetti. And nothing pissed him off more than that. Isn't that such a weird fucking conversation to have? But it's so enthralling. Barry Kiyoga is just so like I'm in a trance watching him. And most of the time, strangely, the character, the excuse me, the camera is focused on Nicole Kittmann's character's face as he gives this monologue. And the way she's looking at him is the way I'm looking at the fucking TV. It's like, what the fuck is he talking about? Um, like I said, a mistake happens and a price has to be paid, and his family has to suffer through that price. But you don't get to choose how, you know, these consequences will be met. And to me, that's terrifying when you really sit in it. Like, what do you do when something enters your life and you can't fix it? We've all had moments like that, like where something just hits and there's nothing you can do but to deal with it. And what these people have to deal with is fucking crazy. Ugh guys, like I don't want to go into it, like not even give you an inkling of what's happening. Barry Keogan's character, all will say, is I don't know. Um, it's like he has these powers, is all I'll say. And he is controlling this man's family. Um, but like I said, you know, like how can you fix it? We've all had like moments like that where something just like comes in and you gotta deal with it, and it just hits. And there's nothing you can do but to deal with it, like I said. The movie just it just makes you feel helpless. Like that loss of control. Again, that word control, it's like a seedling in each of these movies. And that's what this movie captures perfectly is like the loss of it, the loss of control. And then we get the movie that flips that feeling, and that is Poor Things. And like I said, I watched Poor Things probably when it came to streaming the same year it came out. Like I said, also, I was a little put off by this movie. We see our girl Emma Stone, little nude a lot, and I was not ready for that. Like when I say she put it all on the table for this performance, I feel like this is what acting is about. This is what acting's for, for for roles like this. Because how the fuck do you even come up how to play this character? Um, I am just finding out that this movie um was also a novel, but was brought to the big screen screen by our boy Yargos. So um, I also saw interviewed today when Emma Stone was saying like her first day on set, she cried because she's like, I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Like, how am I gonna do this character? Because if you know the character of Bella, I'll give you a little insight. Um, she's like a Frankenstein character. Um, a baby's brain was placed into this grown woman's body. So when the movie begins, you see an adult Emma Stone behaving like a toddler, like a baby. And it's so unsettling. But Emma Stone is fucking amazing. I see why she was scared. Because how do you not make this look ridiculous? Like I said, she put it all out there for this performance. And she did she won an Oscar for this film. Well fucking deserved. Because I don't like who helped her along the way? Who told her what to do? Because for for me to hear an established actor who was as awesome as Emba Stone say she cried the first day because she was like, How am I gonna do this? You know, that's fucking scary, dude. Like, as someone who wants to be an actor and star in films and and have meaty roles like this, that I think the homework of that is the scariest part. How do I do this without making fun of the writing? How do I do this without looking like a complete fucking idiot? Because some of the shit she has to do is so so out there, guys. It's insane. Um, this and the movie's also beautiful. Like, even if you want to just watch it, just so you can just see like the production design and the amazing costumes. They put it all out there, like the color of the sky. Sometimes you have to look in the background because there's always something going on in the background. Um, we also got our boy William Defoe in it. He is the the the Dr. Frankenstein in this movie, he's the one who created Bella. So she he's more like a father figure to her. Um, we also have Mark Ruffalo in this movie who another, another actor. I just watched an interview of him saying how he tried to give this role away to Joaquin Phoenix, who I can see in the role. And we know Joaquin Phoenix is an actor's actor, like he is the weirdest of the weird, and I say that with all the love in my heart. I I love his weird. He's the kind of weird that he he just transforms himself into characters, and I could definitely see him in this role. But Mark Ruffalo did his thing. But Mark Ruffalo was saying he was just so insecure about the accent and saying playing such a boisterous character. It was, it was, it was left for him, but he did amazing, and he was also in that interview with William Dafoe. And William Dafoe was like, the character's insecure. Yeah, he's coming through like he's this big bad guy, but the insecurity helped the performance. And I can tell in that moment, Mark Ruffalo appreciated William Dafoe saying that because there was some people saying that it was kind of weird for him to be in this role, but I don't think it was because he did a bad job. I just think it was just such a left turn for Mark Ruffalo. We used to seeing Mark Ruffalo as the nice guy or the hero, you know, or him to play some sleeves back who's fucking awful, was you know, it was all pudding in the best way ever. Um, but like I said, this it the the it's a bright and colorful film, and it's a little it makes the film fun, you know, just the look of it. But underneath it, I feel like it's still dealing with control. Um, of course, she like I said, she starts as a baby, so it starts with no control. She has to learn everything from scratch. And we see her begin to choose for herself, and we see how it changes with men around her, even William Defoe's character, who's her father figure, you know, her choosing for herself, he doesn't like that. And Mark Ruffalo's character just wants to control her. Everything about her, the way she eats, the way she sits, teaching her etiquette, teaching her how to behave or saying what she can and can't say, you know, and we see Bella just grow and grow into her own person. And watching that, I couldn't help but to think, you know, how much of who we are is really us and how much of it has shaped us by everything around us, you know what I mean? You know, product of your environment. I think that about myself all the time. I'm not gonna get you out of my business, but I had that deep thought about the way I grew up and me still 44 years later dealing with the consequences of that. Um, that's what made this one, you know, feel different because it's not just about losing control, it's like about taking it back. And boy, does Bella take it back in this film. Well deserved, beautifully acted, like I said. Um yes, yes. And there's also like a dance sequence with her and Mark Ruffalo's character in this film, and it's just fucking chef's kiss. Yeah. I think I rewound it the first time around when I watched it because it was just so good. It's a fucking spectacle, man, and the acting's just so fun. It's just it's just what any actor would fucking love to do, you know, on screen. So kudos to Emma Stone. She is definitely in my top five actresses, most definitely. I shouldn't even say actress. I I stopped calling female actors actresses. They're actors. My top five actors. Um, but like I said, the connection of all these movies is control. And Bugonia shows control over a person. Um, in killing of a sacred ear, it shows no control over the consequences you have to face. And in poor things, it shows the journey of taking control back. Three completely different stories, you know, but all saying something about what it means to be human. Because, you know, at the core of all of it, we're all trying to hold onto some level of control in our lives. Because I know I'm fucking am. Um, yeah. So, so yeah, watching these films, you know, it didn't feel like I was watching stories. It felt like I was watching a piece of real life. Um, just told in a way that like most people wouldn't expect. Because if you really strip it all down, how many times in life have we felt like we weren't in control? Like somebody else was defining who we are, or just hit us with something we didn't ask for. Or we woke up one day and realized we've been living a version of ourself that doesn't even feel like real anymore. And that's what these films do for me. You know, they remind me of like that control isn't always something you're given. It's sometimes it's taken from you, sometimes it's never there to begin with, and sometimes you have to fight like hell, you know, to get it back. And I couldn't help but to think about all the people I've seen in my life. People just trying to get through the day, people, you know, riding the bus, going to their jobs. Sometimes they don't love people carrying things you can't even see just by looking at them. Because I've seen I've I mean, I've been there too. I still am in, you know, in some ways, trying to build something, trying to become something, trying to take control of my own story in a world that doesn't, you know, always make it easy. And then, you know, your brain works against you most times. So maybe that's why these films hit me the way they did, you know, because underneath all that weirdness, all that awkwardness, and that fucking weird ass silence, I feel like there's something very real there. The fear of losing control. I have that fear, and in a way in my life, in certain situations, I've learned to take my power back, you know. And at this moment, I'm still building and and and learning and figuring out me and life day by day. But one thing I do know is this I'm not gonna not give up control. I'm not giving up control of my story at all anymore. And if you're listening to this right now, I hope you don't either. You know, I was also thinking while watching this movie, like back home in Dayton, Ohio, I live in Lexus, Kentucky now. Um, I didn't drive. So I'll I was always downtown. And I rode the bus. So I was sitting in the bus hub, or I would, you know, be on a stacked-ass bus, especially after everybody's getting off of work. And guys, I've met some of the most interesting people, the most interesting characters downtown, and had a lot of conversations with them, you know, because sometimes you have an empty seat and the person will sit next to you. And it was the most all-putting, but at the same time, I felt safe conversations I would ever have with some of these characters. And I would watch them get off the bus and I'd be like, What the hell is the rest of your day gonna be? What's your life like? What do you do? Are you safe? You felt a little shifty, you know, but it happened many, many times over the years of me just meeting. I know it sounds kind of like wrong to say the strangest people, but there's strange people out there. None of these people hurt me or hit me or try to do anything nefarious to me, but they were just all putty. And I met so many of them so many times. And to me, that's what these characters in these movies remind me of in Yarcos' movies. You know, the just the everyday people I met downtown with their strange way of speaking, tweaky behavior, strange silences, or strange questions. They're all out there. I just feel like He just shows, you know, the truth. There, these people are everywhere. These you don't know what's happening behind anyone's closed doors, what someone's really like, what someone's really thinking. So yeah. I would say go watch these movies, enjoy them, and come back here and tell me if you like them. So there's also other Yargos movies that are on my list. Um, The Lobster, who also has Colin Farrell in it. Um, The Favorite Kinds of Kindness, which it brings our girl Emma Stone back, Jesse Plemence and William Defoe in that same film. He Yargos reminds me of Mike Lanigan. Like Mike Lanigan constantly casts the same actors, you know, actors he trusts, actors he know he's gonna not have to work too hard to get a great performance out of in his movies. And I respect that. Who doesn't want to link on with a great director like that and star in films where he does such a fucking great job? So, yeah, that's the episode today. Um, we're gonna thank that director, Yargos Lanthimos. I had to say that so many times so I could say it right on this podcast. For great films, great films to make me lose myself, that make me gasp, that make me wish I could be a part of them. Oh, I forgot to mention, in poor things, um, we have Gerard Harmuck playing Harry Astley um in that film. And it's one of those, like I was gonna make a whole podcast about like, damn, damn, I wish I could have had that role. Damn, I wish I could say those words. And Harry Astley is definitely one of those roles. I wish I could have. Um, he has an incredible monologue in there that I actually took and tweaked. And I auditioned with that monologue a lot. The only reason I tweaked it is because I feel like his character is younger than who I am and the role I was auditioning for. And I tweaked it to make a little more mature, you know. But yeah, go watch those movies, guys. Let me know what you think. Tell me which one's your favorite. And as always, thank you for pressing play. Keep coming back and watching me grow, have conversations with me. Let's talk movies. And like I said, thank you.