We caught up with filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Ariane Labed during the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival. Lanthimos was at the festival to show his first English feature film The Lobster.

The Lobster has been described as a dark comedy and a dystopian Tour de Force. The film is about a parallel world with rules on how to find a life partner within 45 days. It is illegal in this parallel world to be single. If you fail to find a partner then you become an animal of your choice. And Colin Farrell, who plays the lead male lead in the film wants to become a lobster.

We spoke with Lanthimos and his wife Labed about the making of the film, how they chose the title for the film, and how they found the tone for this dark comedy. We also discussed the point that Peter Strickland raised in an interview with Lanthimos about how it is a challenge to slot the film into a category.  The couple point out they had fun making this film about love and single people in our society.

LISTEN: YORGOS LANTHIMOS AND ARIANE LABED ON THE LOBSTER:

Here are a couple of review of The Lobster that might interest you. The film offers a rich, surreal take on modern love writes The Los Angeles Times, The Lobster is a rom-com with satirical claws is how NPR’s movie review described the film.The movie asks too much of its viewers writes The Christian Science Monitor. The film does demand your total attention since it is a rich and complex narrative.

The Lobster stars Colin Farell, Rachel Weisz, Jessica Barden, Ariane Labed, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw and others. The film releases in San Francisco Bay area on May 20, 2016.