Kinds of Kindness (2024)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A triptych fable explores the bizarre and often violent lives of individuals caught in strange systems of control and belief.
The story
Structured as a "triptych fable," the film presents three distinct but loosely connected stories. In the first, a man named Robert lives under the absolute control of his boss and lover, Raymond, until a specific order leads to a fracture in their dynamic. The second follows a police officer, Daniel, who becomes increasingly paranoid after his wife, a marine biologist, is rescued from the sea and returns with unsettling changes. The third narrative follows Emily and Andrew, members of a sex cult, as they search for a woman with the ability to reanimate the dead. Each segment explores the extremes of human behavior and the consequences of devotion.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film is a triptych of stories. In 'The Death of R.M.F.', Robert is controlled by Raymond; after a failed attempt to kill a man named R.M.F., Robert is 'freed' and his life falls apart, leading him to eventually kill R.M.F. to regain Raymond's favor. In 'R.M.F. Is Flying', officer Daniel becomes paranoid about his wife Liz's strange behavior after her rescue at sea. He eventually forces her to mutilate herself, only for a second 'Liz' to appear at his door. In 'R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich', Emily and Andrew in a sex cult seek a woman who can reanimate the dead. After a series of events involving a woman named Rebecca and a woman named Ruth, Emily ends up crashing her car and killing Ruth after a successful reanimation. The film concludes with a mid-credits scene where R.M.F. eats a sandwich.
- Original title
- R.M.F.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 164
- Production countries
- Ireland; United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Writers
- Yorgos Lanthimos · writer; Efthimis Filippou · writer
- Cast and characters
- Emma Stone; Jesse Plemons; Willem Dafoe; Margaret Qualley; Hong Chau; Joe Alwyn; Mamoudou Athie; Hunter Schafer
- Genres
- absurdist; black comedy-drama
- Themes
- control; humanity
- Tone and mood
- bleakly funny; morbidly funny
- Setting
- Various locations across three distinct narratives.
- Premise and plot tags
- anthology; triptych
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 58
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Best Actor · win
- Production trivia
- The title was changed twice before becoming Kinds of Kindness in December 2023.; The initials R.M.F. are not in reference to anything.; The film marks the fifth collaboration between Lanthimos and Filippou.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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