Synopsis
Give me a quick plot recap
Here’s a quick plot recap of Kinds of Kindness (2024) by Yorgos Lanthimos — it’s structured as three bleak, interlinked fables about control, suffering, and the twisted forms kindness can take. Major spoilers.
Triptych Structure: Three Connected Stories All three segments feature many of the same actors (Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, etc.), but in different roles, with “R.M.F.” as a recurring presence.
Part I: “The Death of R.M.F.”
- Robert Fletcher (Plemons) is completely controlled by his boss Raymond (Dafoe), who micromanages his life: where he lives, who he marries, even when he has sex.
- Raymond commands Robert to kill a man known only as R.M.F. via a car crash. Robert hesitates; when he refuses, Raymond fires him.
- Robert’s life unravels — betrayal, loss of spouse, disillusionment — and in desperation he kidnaps R.M.F. and runs him down with his car.
- Finally, Robert returns to Raymond’s mansion. Raymond praises him, concluding this nightmare of obedience and crisis.
Part II: “R.M.F. Is Flying”
- Daniel (Plemons), a police officer, is grieving his wife Liz’s (Stone) disappearance at sea. She reappears rescued by a helicopter piloted by R.M.F.
- Liz seems changed — behaviors, enjoyments, small physical traits — and Daniel grows deeply paranoid.
- His paranoia escalates: he accuses Liz of being an imposter, demands self-mutilation, ends with Liz dying after being forced to cut out her liver, etc. Then “another Liz” shows up — they embrace.
Part III: “R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich”
- Emily (Stone) and Andrew (Plemons) are part of a cult led by Omi and Aka (Dafoe, Chau) that enforces bizarre rituals and seeks a woman with the power to resurrect the dead.
- They test Anna, then are pointed to Ruth (Qualley), a veterinarian with a deceased twin — which matches cult prophecy. Emily struggles with betrayal, familial ties, the cult’s unforgiving demands.
- After witnessing a dog heal itself under Ruth’s care, Emily coaxes Ruth into resurrecting R.M.F. in a morgue. But in rushing to the cult headquarters, Emily crashes the car; Ruth dies.
- Final image: R.M.F. eating a sandwich during the mid-credits — mundane, absurd, slightly unsettling.
Themes & Takeaways
- The film is about how kindness can be twisted: kindness wielded as control, cruelty masquerading as care.
- Free will is constrained — by love, by dogma, by authority — and people suffer trying to fulfill distorted expectations.
- R.M.F., present in all stories, is possibly a symbol: constant in a world that keeps shifting, maybe immortal or simply dispassionate.
If you want a dive into character arcs or symbolism (e.g. R.M.F., what the recurring twins mean), I can do that too.