The Lobster (2016)

I'm not sure if it began this way, but The Lobster really feels like a satire of YA dystopian films like Divergent, The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games. Of course this one stars middle-aged schlubs, but all the signposts are there. There are rules, there are factions, there's a color scheme and of course there's intense oppression. Yet, instead of playing these elements for strained seriousness and tired "insights" that we've seen countless times over, Yorgos Lanthimos and his collaborators play them for extremely bleak comedy. Just try to not laugh at the fact that bisexuality is no longer an option and that shoes don't come in half sizes. And rather than diminishing the impact, this deft approach miraculously enhances the insights that the film makes into human behavior. It may be a comedy, but the laughs really stick in your throat.