Kinds of Kindness
"We might all be in danger."
Three interconnected fables shape Kinds of Kindness. In one thread, a man who feels trapped by circumstance fights to seize some control over his life, testing whether a stubborn will can alter a fixed fate. In another, a police officer is stunned when his wife, believed lost at sea, returns home... Read more
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Streaming availability last verified: February 19, 2026
About Kinds of Kindness
Three interconnected fables shape Kinds of Kindness. In one thread, a man who feels trapped by circumstance fights to seize some control over his life, testing whether a stubborn will can alter a fixed fate. In another, a police officer is stunned when his wife, believed lost at sea, returns home and seems changed, as if a hidden past has rewritten who she is. The third follows a woman pursuing a person with a rare gift who is destined to become a powerful spiritual guide, a figure whose presence unsettles the ordinary world. The tone blends dry humor with intimate fragility, keeping events precise and unnerving.
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos with a screenplay by Efthimis Filippou, Kinds of Kindness arrives in 2024 as an original concept. The film stitches together three peculiar tales that probe choice, identity, and the quiet edges of desire.
Worldwide gross is about 16,398,509 dollars against a 15,000,000 budget, signaling a modest but steady art-house run notable for a Lanthimos project. It earned attention in festival circuits and limited markets.
While still early in its life cycle, the film has sparked conversations about how kindness can mask power and control, and how ordinary people handle strange truths. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons deliver dry, precise performances that linger in memory.
Critics have noted Lanthimos's signature deadpan tone as he lets personal longing and moral ambiguity surface through humor and restraint. The three stories examine agency, fate, and ethics without heavy sensationalism, inviting viewers to question what kindness truly requires of us and how mercy shapes our lives.
What Viewers Are Saying
Kinds of Kindness reads like a Lanthimos triptych where three stories share the same cast swapping roles across chapters. Some fans love the dry wit and the way Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe morph into different kinds of professionals and bosses, while others bail out because the structure feels opaque and the long runtime wears you down. The visuals are icy and precise, and the mood vacillates between eerie deadpan and unsettling moments that linger after the lights come up.
Details
- Release Date
- May 30, 2024
- Runtime
- 2h 44m
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 1,207 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- Country
- Ireland
- Studio
- Searchlight Pictures +4 more
- Budget
- $15,000,000
- Box Office
- $16,398,509
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Official Trailer
Cast
Emma Stone
Rita / Liz / Emily
Jesse Plemons
Robert / Daniel / Andrew
Willem Dafoe
Raymond / George / Omi
Margaret Qualley
Vivian / Martha / Ruth / Rebecca
Hong Chau
Sarah / Sharon / Aka
Mamoudou Athie
Will / Neil / Morgue Nurse
Joe Alwyn
Collectibles Appraiser / Passenger / Joseph
Hunter Schafer
Anna
Yorgos Stefanakos
R.M.F.
Fadeke Adeola
Paramedic
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by: Efthimis Filippou