Tracking Shots is a series of short essays on cinema directors, tracking the themes and techniques that define their work. I originally write these to guide discussions at the Barcelona cinema club I run, then gather them here.
Yorgos Lanthimos is from Greece, and like a classical Greek philosopher, he is interested in the existential questions that shape human behaviour. Especially, he is interested in how individuals interact with society, often pushing the tension between the two to its extreme.
Lanthimosā stories are rooted in Greek mythology and tragedy. Dogtooth, perhaps his masterpiece, is a reinterpretation of Platoās Cave myth: the house in the film serves as a metaphorical cave (yet it is filmed with plenty of light).
Like Guadagnino, he wants to explore desire. However, while Guadagnino focuses on desire as a force to contemplate, Lanthimos is fascinated by the conflict between primitive desires and societal norms. In The Lobster, desire is strictly regulated by society: single people must find a partner within 45 days or be transformed into animals of their choice (a lobster, in the case of the protagonist).
Lanthimosā cinema is often about control and power dynamics in absurd circumstances. His characters frequently degenerate from structure into chaos, highlighting the fragility of human systems designed to enforce order. This transition is often punctuated by sudden bursts of violence, moments that expose the instincts lurking beneath the surface.
This descent into chaos, and the rebellion against imposed structures, is also often symbolised by āweirdā dances, like the explosive dance in Poor Things.
His obsession with power dynamics is also evident in his latest movie, Kinds of Kindness, a collection of three stories. In the first story, Lanthimos depicts a man whose life is literally controlled by another.
Lanthimos has a sense of humour, but his is much darker and often unsettling for audiences. His films invite laughter, accompanied by discomfort (and, sometimes, even disgust!). I saw this when I watched Kinds of Kindness in the cinema: the audience often reacted to some scenes (and particularly to one) with visible unease.
Visually, Lanthimosā cinema is beautifully composed, with every frame meticulously designed, like a painting. This has evolved, moving from the minimalism of Dogtooth to the baroque extravagance of Poor Things. While his core themes remain roughly the same, Poor Things is a much lighter and more optimistic movie. It also represents Lanthimosā most accessible work to date, without losing the provocation that defines his cinema.
Lanthimos often films his characters in enclosed spaces, suggesting that they are imprisoned by circumstances. He has used techniques such as fish-eye lenses and fragmented framing to disorient and unsettle viewers within these environments. His use of sound and music frequently clashes with the images on screen, amplifying this sense of discomfort. However, his characters occasionally venture into open spaces in search of the freedom they long for.