ABSTRACT
The sense of separation between the characters and the loneliness of their existence, driven further by the fear that they have to choose between coupledom and either existence as an animal or death, is extended through the use of a number of cinematic strategies. The inmates have few options to opt out of the passionless regime, so most go about their search for a partner in an automaton-like fashion. The only exception to the lack of passion is 'Biscuit Woman', although her primary emotion seems to be one of despair. Although The Lobster is complex and lends itself to many readings, the author's own interpretation and enjoyment of the film is founded on two things. The first is the counter-hegemonic challenge to cultural ideals of love, and the romantic comedy genre specifically; and the second is the critique it offers for interrogating ideologies of ableism and disablism, especially in its challenges to categorial thinking and the reification of bodily categories.
