Why does Yorgos Lanthimos cast the same actors in three distinct, disturbing stories?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In his 2024 absurdist anthology Kinds of Kindness, director Yorgos Lanthimos tasks his ensemble cast with playing a triple role across three loosely connected fables. This triptych explores the violent extremes of human devotion and control, resulting in a dispassionate, darkly comedic look at the lengths people go to for belonging.

Structured as a triptych fable, the film features recurring actors including Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Willem Dafoe. Each segment presents a unique, surreal reality: a man desperate to regain his boss's approval, a police officer convinced his returned wife is an imposter, and a cult member seeking a miracle to regain her status. The narratives are linked by their exploration of power dynamics, where characters surrender autonomy to satisfy the demands of others, often with gruesome consequences.

The film, which grossed $16.4 million worldwide, marks the fifth collaboration between Lanthimos and screenwriter Efthimis Filippou. Their partnership is known for a specific, unsettling tone, previously seen in works like The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Critics have noted the film's misanthropic wit, with 71% of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes being positive. Jesse Plemons, who won the Best Actor award at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, received particular acclaim for his performances across the three stories.

Production took place in New Orleans in late 2022, with each of the three stories filmed back-to-back over three-week blocks. The score was composed by Jerskin Fendrix, continuing his collaboration with Lanthimos after Poor Things. While the initials "R.M.F." appear throughout the film as a recurring element, Lanthimos has clarified that they do not refer to anything specific. The result is a challenging, often violent exploration of human nature that forces the audience to confront the absurdity of the social contracts we accept.

Ultimately, the film serves as a bleakly funny examination of how individuals navigate authority and identity. Whether it is a man mutilating himself to appease a partner or a cultist performing rituals to cleanse "toxins," the characters operate within rigid, often irrational systems. By using the same actors in different roles, Lanthimos emphasizes the universality of these power struggles, suggesting that the drive to be controlled—or to control—is a fundamental, if disturbing, aspect of the human experience.

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