Yorgos Lanthimos Says ‘Kinds of Kindness’ ‘Was Almost Like Making Three Films’

Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film is kind of three movies in one, according to the auteur.

Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” (originally titled “AND”) was filmed in New Orleans while “Poor Things” was in VFX post-production in October 2022, and in case it wasn’t enough having two films back-to-back, the “Favourite” filmmaker revealed to The Guardian that “Kind of Kindness” is a trio of storylines.

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“It’s a contemporary film, set in the U.S. — three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts. It was almost like making three films, really,” Lanthimos said. “It’s all shot and we have started editing.”

“Kinds of Kindness” reunites Lanthimos with “Poor Things” stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, plus “The Favourite” actor Joe Alwyn. Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Hunter Schafer mark their respective first films with Lanthimos as part of the cast.

“It’s great to be working again with Emma,” Lanthimos added of continuing his collaborations with Stone, which include “The Favourite” and the short film “Bleat.” “It makes it so much easier to have someone there who trusts you so much, and who you trust so much.”

“Kinds of Kindness” is co-written by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou (Oscar-nominated for Lanthimos’ “The Lobsters” and co-writer on “Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “Alps,” and “Dogtooth”), with the film developed by Element Pictures and Film4. The film is produced by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Element, along with Kasia Malipan and writer-director Lanthimos. This is the fifth project between Lanthimos, Guiney, and Lowe. Ollie Madden and Daniel Battsek are executive producing for Film4, which co-financed the project. The film will be distributed by “The Favourite” and “Poor Things” studio Searchlight Pictures.

When reflecting on his filmography thus far, Lanthimos joked his films are “all problematic children, all problematic in different ways.” He rewatched “The Favourite,” “Dogtooth,” and “Killing of a Sacred Deer” during the pandemic, noting he was “pleasantly surprised” since he “thought they were worse.”

“When I saw them I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad! It works well.’ I mean, you can never make a perfect film, but it’s well put together and there are ideas there that are interesting,” Lanthimos said. “And I guess that’s what I wanted to do.”

“Kinds of Kindness” and “Poor Things” actor Dafoe recently told IndieWire’s Kate Erbland that he was “very curious” to see the finished film, especially as “Kinds of Kindness” is vastly different than buzzy “Poor Things.” According to Dafoe, the upcoming movie is a return to earlier form for Lanthimos.

“I think it’s safe to say it’s not at all like ‘Poor Things.’ It’s a little closer to his earlier work,” Dafoe said of “Kinds of Kindness,” adding, “It’s a smaller film, it’s present day, it’s structured differently.”

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