The Lobster (2015) Ending Explained
tl;dr: The Lobster (2015), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, is a dystopian black comedy about a society where single people are sent to a hotel and given 45 days to find a romantic partner or be transformed into an animal of their choice. The protagonist, David (Colin Farrell), escapes the hotel and joins a rebellious group of "Loners" who forbid romantic relationships. The film ends ambiguously: David attempts to blind himself to align with his love interest, the Short-Sighted Woman (Rachel Weisz), but the screen cuts to black before revealing whether he follows through. The ending critiques societal pressures around love and conformity, leaving the audience to ponder the cost of human connection.
Detailed Explanation of the Ending
The final act of The Lobster sees David fleeing the oppressive rules of both the hotel and the Loners, who punish any form of intimacy. He forms a genuine bond with the Short-Sighted Woman, despite the Loner leader's (Léa Seydoux) strict prohibition on relationships. In a climactic moment, the woman is captured and blinded by the leader as punishment for her secret romance with David. Later, David and the woman reunite in a diner, where he learns of her blindness. In a twisted gesture of solidarity (or perhaps societal conditioning), he takes a steak knife to the bathroom, presumably to blind himself so they can be "matched" in disability-a dark mirror of the hotel's arbitrary pairing system. The film cuts to black before showing the act, leaving his fate unresolved.
This abrupt ending forces viewers to confront the film's central themes: the absurdity of societal norms around love and the extremes people endure to avoid loneliness. By not confirming whether David goes through with the act, Lanthimos highlights the uncertainty and sacrifice inherent in human relationships. The ambiguity also reflects the film's Kafkaesque tone-whether David blinds himself or not, the system has already won by reducing love to a transactional, often cruel, exchange.
Unresolved Questions & Possible Interpretations
Does David actually blind himself?
- Yes: He succumbs to the societal pressure to "match" with his partner, proving the system's grip on individuality.
- No: He hesitates, realizing the absurdity, but their relationship remains doomed without conformity.
- Unclear: The lack of resolution underscores the film's critique of binary outcomes in love.
What does the lobster symbolize?
- David's choice of becoming a lobster (his stated preference early in the film) represents his desire for longevity and resilience, but the ending suggests he may instead choose mutilation for love.
Is the Loner group any better than the hotel?
- Both enforce rigid rules, revealing that rebellion against conformity often creates its own oppressive structures.
Personal Opinion on the Ending & Film
The Lobster is a masterclass in absurdist satire, and its ending is brilliantly unsettling. By denying closure, Lanthimos forces the audience to sit with the discomfort of its themes. The film's cold, deadpan delivery amplifies the horror of its premise, making the emotional beats (like David and the woman's whispered conversations) strangely poignant. The ending's ambiguity is frustrating but purposeful-it refuses to offer a tidy moral, instead mirroring the chaos of real-world relationships. While not for everyone, the film's blend of humor and bleakness makes it a standout in modern cinema.
Final Thoughts
The Lobster's ending is a Rorschach test for viewers: some see hope in David's defiance, others see despair in his potential self-destruction. The film's genius lies in its refusal to answer whether love is worth mutilation or if freedom is possible in a world obsessed with categorization. It's a haunting, darkly comic meditation on the lengths we go to avoid being alone-and whether those lengths ever truly lead to connection.