The Lobster · written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou · 2015

David points out a new woman with a limp, but Limping Man says it is only a sprained ankle; the alarm ends breakfast.

Scene 36 of 123 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

David
Limping Man

Act oneAct two

Begins 26 min into a 1:28 film

The story so farBefore scene 36

After his wife leaves him, David has 45 days to find a partner at a hotel or become an animal; he escapes, falls for a shortsighted loner, and must decide whether to surrender his sight so they can stay together.

Scenes 1–15
David moves from his broken home into the hotel, where couplehood is imposed as the norm.
Scenes 16–24
He must find a partner before the 45-day limit turns him into an animal.
Scene 25
David loads a tranquilliser gun and joins the hotel’s hunt, entering its violent courtship system.
Just before
Scene 33
The Hotel Manager interrogates Lisping Man about masturbation and humiliates him; David keeps staring at his own hand.
Scene 34
A hotel performance stages examples of how a partner prevents choking and deters assault; the audience applauds.
Scene 35
David’s parents visit, voice optimism and family updates, then his mother leaves sirloin steak for his dog-brother before they go.
Scene 36
This scene

36INT. BREAKFAST ROOM - MORNING

Limping Man and David sit alone but at adjacent tables and eat their breakfast. Limping Man looks a little sad. David tries to cheer him up.

DAVID

New guests arrived yesterday.

LIMPING MAN

Yes, I saw that.

DAVID

I think I saw a woman with a limp.

LIMPING MAN

It’s only a sprained ankle. She’ll

be walking normally again in a few

days. I asked her.

DAVID

That’s a shame.

Limping Man looks back down at his plate and plays with some butter and his knife. David tries to find something to say but can’t. They sit silently. The alarm bell goes off. They all get up and leave the room.