So, you’ve seen the trailer for Kinds of Kindness. Confused? You’re not the only one. The trailer revealed very little about the upcoming film, which could be considered good or bad. Many trailers these days reveal far too much about the movies, making audiences less excited about any possible surprises in the film. But if a trailer reveals too little…how do we know it’s worth watching?
Here’s what we can tell you about Kinds of Kindness:
The Premise
Written and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (who also directed 2023’s Poor Things), Kinds of Kindness follows three separate, though loosely related, stories. The first, titled “The Death of R.M.F.,” is about a man breaking free from his unforgiving boss to forge his own path. The second, “R.M.F. is Flying,” is about a cop reuniting with his wife (who supposedly survived a drowning) who isn’t like the woman he remembers. Finally, the third segment, “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich,” ends the film with a woman setting out on a journey searching for a mysterious individual.
The Cast
The upcoming comedy-drama features plenty of recognizable faces. First and foremost is Emma Stone: actress, producer, and winner of two Academy Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. She’s played iconic roles in many titles, including Superbad (2007), Zombieland (2009), Easy A (2010), The Help (2011), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), La La Land (2016), Cruella (2021), Poor Things (2023), and many more.
We’ll also see:
- Jesse Plemons, an American actor known for his roles in Battleship (2012), Game Night (2018), Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Civil War (2024), The Irishman (2019), The Power of the Dog (2021), and as the unnerving Robert Daly in the “USS Callister” episode of Black Mirror (2011-present).
- Willem Dafoe, an American actor with over a hundred movies to his name. Dafoe is best known for his performances in Platoon (1986), American Psycho (2000), Spider-Man (2002), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Poor Things (2024), and as the voice of Gill in Finding Nemo (2003) and Rat in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).
- Margaret Qualley, who has played roles in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019), Poor Things (2023), Maid (2021), and Fosse/Verdon (2019).
Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer, and many more will contribute their talent to the upcoming film.
Our Observations and Expectations
The R-rated film premiered on May 17th at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and will be released theatrically on June 21st. Reviews are already positive, calling it “eerily realistic,” “boundary-pushing,” and “fiercely original and unforgettable.” If it’s anything like Lanthimos’s Poor Things, we know it will be unique and thought-provoking, with no shortage of the absurd and bizarre.