Kinds of Kindness stars Joe Alwyn and Mamoudou Athie spoke with MovieWeb’s Richard Fink about the new Yorgos Lanthimos film with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, and others. Kinds of Kindness hit theaters June 21, 2024, after its success at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film, which was directed by Lanthimos and written by Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou, features a stellar ensemble cast including: two-time Academy Award-winner Emma Stone (Lanthimos’ Poor Things, The Favourite, La La Land), Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, The Lighthouse), Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog, Killers of the Flower Moon), Margaret Qualley (Poor Things, “Maid”), Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu), Joe Alwyn (The Favourite, “Conversations with Friends”), Mamoudou Athie (Elemental, “The Get Down”), and Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria,” Cuckoo).

An anthological fable of free will, Kinds of Kindness follows three distinct stories each featuring different characters portrayed by the same actors: a man without choice as he attempts to take control of his life; a policeman whose “wife” returns home after being missing-at-sea, but seems to be a completely different person; and a woman whose sights are set on finding someone with a specific special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.

The film comes on the heels of Lanthimos’ massive success with Poor Things, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Emma Stone’s lead performance as Bella Baxter. Kinds of Kindness marks the fourth collaboration between Lanthimos and Filippou following Dogtooth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Lobster, the latter of which earned them both an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Kinds of Kindness also sees Lanthimos collaborating again with Academy Award-nominated composer Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things), Academy Award-nominated DP Robbie Ryan (Poor Things, The Favourite), and Academy Award-nominated editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis (Poor Things, The Favourite).

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