The first trailer for Kinds of Kindness has been released, revealing Yorgos Lanthimos’ mysterious follow-up to last year’s Poor Things. The secretive ensemble film will reunite Lanthimos with Emma Stone for the third time after the star won Best Actress for the role of Bella Baxter in Poor Things. Kinds of Kindness also stars Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Hunter Schafer, and Mamoudou Athie.
The secrets behind Kinds of Kindness have been partially revealed now that Searchlight Pictures has released the first trailer for the film.
The brief teaser begins with the voice of Stone saying “this is it, the moment of truth” as a racecar-like vehicle haphazardly whips down the street. Set to the song “Sweet Things,” the scene then cuts to reveal more of the main characters, in snippets that hint to interpersonal drama, getaway cars, and potential death.
Even the trailer for Kinds of Kindness reveals very little as to the plot of the film. The trailer’s description cites the film as a “triptych fable.” These three parts consist of: 1) a man trying to take control over his own life, 2) a policeman who is alarmed at the changes his once-missing wife has undergone and 3) a woman determined to find someone with a special ability. Exactly how these plot points will (or will not) interact with each other during Kinds of Kindness is yet to be determined.
Even though a lot remains dubious about Kinds of Kindness, there are many reasons to be excited for the film. Stone has just come off of a Best Actress win for her stunning work in Lanthimos’ Poor Things. The director-actor duo are now a dynamic pairing, having worked together on several different projects. Poor Things also featured both Dafoe and Qualley, making Kinds of Kindness a grand reunion for the three actors, boding well for the characters’ chemistry in the film.
The Kinds of Kindness trailer seems to indicate that there will be an action element to the film. If Lanthimos knows how to do anything, though, it is how to consistently defy the boundaries of genre. Poor Things is both costume drama and science-fiction, and The Lobster is dystopian fiction and dark comedy. Especially with its triptych-style storytelling, Kinds of Kindness will likely fit in well with the growingly idiosyncratic Lanthimos oeuvre.
Source: Searchlight Pictures