It starts with an operation, « grand » music and slow camera movements. A warning : it's going to bleed and we're going to get to the « heart » of an American family.
It's a story of revenge, meant to be a stressful thriller with tension and suspense and fear. The filming clearly aims at Kubrick's, nothing less.
The result ? A complete failure, pretentious and vain.
As a thriller, it doesn't work, as a metaphor for the vanity of the average American family and its so-called respectability, it is far-fetched and it totally misses the point because it is mostly a caricature and not a funny one, though many critics marveled at Lanthimos sick humour (if anyone really, spontaneously laughed while watching the movie, please let me know.). As to the photography, it is pointless as well because nobody is interested in watching excellent pictures of nothing. A magnificent box which contains nothing only amounts to emptiness.
Others have compared Lanthimos to Bunuel, saying that what Bunuel did to the catholic church, Lanthimos wants to do it to capitalism. If this is what he really aims at, well, capitalism has a bright future. Plus, Bunuel liked some of his characters, he films desire, lust. In Lanthimos'movie, the main failure is the characters. Not one of them is worth saving, not one of them deserves an once of sympathy. If the film was designed to be a slaughterhouse, at least let's have some fun slaughtering ! Kill with joy !
A vain, pretentious movie by someone who doesn't like people, obviously. Become an ermit, Yorgos, and don't inflict us your boredom.
I would have rated it zero it it had been possible. If you have 2 hours, peel potatoes or watch paint dry instead.