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

The Loner Leader invites David into town and instructs him to look like a respectable couple.

Scene 73 of 123 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act two

Loner Leader
David

Act oneAct two

Begins 56 min into a 1:28 film

The story so farBefore scene 73

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.
Scenes 25–62
He participates in the hunt, attempts a false match, then escapes into the woods.
Scene 69
Shortsighted Woman’s voice-over says she first saw David exercising and thought he seemed presentable.
Just before
Scene 70
Lisping Man catches David, who pleads friendship; Shortsighted Woman stabs Lisping Man, and David tranquillises him and takes his gear.
Scene 71
The Maid leaves the coach to search for truffles after agreeing to return within fifty minutes.
Scene 72
The Maid secretly gives the Loner Leader a gun, room key, and couple list, then describes her plan to kill her dentist.
Scene 73
This scene

73EXT. THE WOODS - EVENING

Loners sit around the woods and rest after the hunt. Loner Swimmer eats fruit, Shortsighted Woman listens to music on her headphones, Bandaged Loner reads a book. Beside him sits a female loner who also has bandages on her mouth - she’s probably the other loner punished with the Red Kiss torture. David sits next to Loner Leader.

She rubs a hydrating cream onto her hands and face. She offers some to David but he declines with a shake of his head.

LONER LEADER

Tomorrow we’re going into town.

We’re going to buy some new books

as some people have been

complaining that they’ve read the

same book two or three times over.

Also, someone lost the second

volume of “Crime and Punishment”

during a chase and lots of people

have read the first part and are

waiting to see what happened next.

You can come, if you like.

DAVID

I’ll come.

LONER LEADER

Excellent. Then you should clean

up. We must look like very decent,

presentable couples tomorrow. Make

sure you cut your nails and comb

your hair.

DAVID

Should I put some aftershave on?

LONER LEADER

No, that won’t be necessary.