Warning: this review contains light spoilers for this movie. No specific events are revealed here, but certain elements of the movie are discussed, as I feel that the overall experience may benefit from being qualified. Please take this into consideration before reading further. For commenters, please use the spoiler tags as this movie is relatively new.

It’s been said at The Avocado and elsewhere that a director’s second movie is the one worth seeing. The first movie is the one the director makes to prove they can do it, to show they can play the game and/or have the right connections to succeed. The first movie can be great, or at least have promise of great movies to come, but there are expectations to be met. The second movie is the one they really wanted to make, the movie for themselves. (There’s also interest in seeing if the director had more than one good movie in them, but I’m not sure that applies here.)

Kinds of Kindness represents a sort of second movie for director Yorgos Lanthimos. He was already making his movies prior to 2023, but the success of Poor Things effectively handed him a pass for whatever movie he wanted to make next. Almost anything was on the table here, with only two real guarantees: this movie would have Emma Stone in it, and it would be pretty weird.

Check both boxes here. Kinds follows a less conventional structure, consisting of three segments that share cast members and some loose plot elements. It takes place in reality, sort of; normal rules apply here, sometimes. It’s less magical realism and more Twilight Zone than anything. It may be less high concept than some of the director’s other films – which is admittedly a high bar – but it isn’t especially burdened by social conventions.

This movie was written by Lanthimos and regular cowriter Efthimis Filippou, and it definitely has more in common with their previous collaborations than Poor Things or The Favorite. There might be a resolution, but it’s hardly a happy ending for anyone. It is funny at times, but hardly a comedy. It is mostly enjoyable, but should be qualified.

There are a few moments of violence here that aren’t exactly essential to the success of the movie. I won’t list them here, but they are regular and gruesome enough to pull the audience out of the movie experience at times. Each person’s comfort level may vary, but these moments feel like they take away form an otherwise interesting and palatable production. I do expect a certain level of discomfort from a Lanthimos film, and wasn’t surprised given the director’s previous work, but I also feel like Kinds has one or two incidents that actively mar the movie and go beyond shock value.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie, but the harsh moments are impossible to ignore. It’s unfortunate, because the movie otherwise has plenty to recommend. The small group of actors that appear in each segment are all talented enough to lead a movie on their own. Willem Dafoe in particular seems right in his element, and Emma Stone shows a good deal of range here. I’d be happy to see any of these actors in a future Lanthimos movie.

So there you have it. This movie might be something of a victory lap for the director, and it still seems like a success, if not his best movie. Lanthimos certainly has a strong track record, so I think it’s important to keep Kinds in perspective despite its missteps. Wikipedia shows that Lanthimos already has another movie planned (with Ari Aster co-producing!), and I’ll look forward to seeing it maybe next year.