A man seeks to break free from his predetermined path, a cop questions his wife's demeanor after her return from a supposed drowning, and a woman searches for an extraordinary individual prophesied to become a renowned spiritual guide.
KINDS OF KINDNESS is a triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader.—Searchlight Pictures
A three-chapter study of cruel authority comprises a macabre triptych of control in Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness. With obsession, madness, and a mysterious character linking three self-contained stories, ultra-dependent employee Robert Fletcher sees his world unravel when his domineering boss bursts his bubble in "The Death of R.M.F.". Having fallen from grace, now Robert must take matters into his own hands. Then, in "R.M.F. Is Flying", bereft police officer Daniel can't believe his eyes when his missing wife, Liz, returns from the dead a changed woman. With doubt gnawing at him, the sceptical husband has no choice but to put their relationship to the ultimate test. Finally, in "R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich", zealous cult members Emily and Andrew embark on an impossible mission from God, only to realise that purity demands sacrifice.—Nick Riganas
Structured as a "triptych fable", Kinds of Kindness consists of three distinct but loosely connected stories:
"The Death of R.M.F."
Robert Fletcher follows every order from his domineering boss and lover, Raymond. Raymond controls every aspect of Robert's life, including setting him up with his wife Sarah, buying their house and car, and dictating when they can have sexual intercourse. One day, Raymond orders Robert to crash his car to kill "R.M.F.", a man known only by his initials. They survive with minor injuries. When Raymond orders him to try again, Robert confesses his fear and unwillingness to try again, but Raymond insists. Robert refuses again, which angers Raymond, causing Raymond to fire Robert, stating Robert is "free now". Robert's life then falls apart. A prized smashed John McEnroe tennis racquet, given by Raymond as a gift, is taken from his house. In his despondence, Robert confesses to Sarah that Raymond paid doctors to supply abortifacients with the intention of unknowingly posing as miscarriages and ovarian issues; Sarah abandons him, quitting her job and disappearing. Desperate, Robert grovels to Raymond for another chance but is aggressively rebuffed.
Trying to regain Raymond's respect, Robert meets Rita, a woman whose life Robert quickly discovers is also being controlled by Raymond. After Rita was also tasked with crashing into and killing R.M.F., she ends up in the hospital, with R.M.F. in critical condition. In a last-ditch effort, Robert kidnaps R.M.F., dumping him in the hospital valet drop-off, and repeatedly running him over, eventually killing him. Robert then arrives at Raymond's mansion. Robert embraces Raymond, and Vivian, Raymond's live-in lover, on the couch. Raymond states that he knew that Robert would not disappoint him.
"R.M.F. Is Flying"
Police officer Daniel is mourning the disappearance of his wife Liz, a marine biologist who went missing at sea, when he receives news that she has been rescued in a helicopter piloted by R.M.F. Liz miraculously returns unharmed to Daniel, but many things about her are strange; her behavior and interests seem to be the opposite of how she was before, their pet cat acting aggressive towards her, and her feet no longer fit in her shoes, leading Daniel to become suspicious of her. Amid his paranoia about Liz, she tells Daniel she is pregnant. He orders her to leave and threatens arrest if she refuses. Daniel's paranoia escalates during a traffic stop, where he acts erratically, shoots a passenger in the hand and licks the wound. As a result, he is suspended from the police force and prescribed antipsychotics.
Liz recounts to her father a dream she experienced the previous night, in which dogs were the dominant species and kept humans like Liz as pets, being fed chocolate, a food she previously hated but ate due to there being large quantities of such. She concludes that it is better to rely on something consistently available rather than something that depletes each day. Homebound and still unconvinced of Liz's identity, Daniel starts starving himself and then orders Liz to mutilate herself in various ways. First, Daniel asks for one of Liz's fingers or thumb to eat. Liz then severs her thumb and serves it to Daniel to eat. Daniel then tells his doctor Liz mutilated herself on her own volition and claims she began punching herself in the stomach and face. At a gynecologist's office, Liz is found to have miscarried, and claims that Daniel in fact hit her after she talked back, blaming it on the antipsychotics. Later, Daniel demands more food, suggesting her liver. Liz complies, cuts out her liver, and dies. Another Liz arrives at Daniel's door, and they happily embrace. Over the credits, footage of dogs living like humans is shown.
"R.M.F. Eats a Sandwich"
Emily and Andrew are members of a sex cult led by the enigmatic Omi and Aka. The cult's ritual for cleansing involves sweating out "toxins" in a high-temperature sauna if accused of infidelity with anyone other than Omi or Aka, with Aka licking the sweat from their navel to determine if they are cleansed. Emily and Andrew are specifically looking for a woman with the ability to reanimate the dead. They examine a candidate named Anna, whom they find to be unsuccessful. Emily secretly makes regular visits to her estranged husband, Joseph, and their daughter. Later at the headquarters, Omi gives Emily and Andrew information on another possible candidate, only for them to discover that she is already dead. Emily believes that the woman they are looking for appeared to her in a dream. While Emily and Andrew are eating at a restaurant, a woman named Rebecca, who resembles the woman Emily dreamed about, approaches them and says she knows who they are. She suggests that her twin sister, Ruth, would be a perfect candidate. Andrew brushes this off, saying that one of the requirements-that the candidate's twin must be deceased-was not met.
During a visit to her old home, Emily runs into Joseph and their daughter as she is leaving, and Joseph invites Emily to visit them again. She does, only for Joseph to drug her drinks and rape her while she is unconscious. The morning after, Omi, Aka, and Andrew arrive at Emily's old home and take her to be "tested". She is then expelled from the cult after being found to be "contaminated". As part of a plan to return to the cult, she decides to see Ruth. Before leaving, she visits Rebecca, who called earlier to say that she would be able to meet one of the requirements. Rebecca kills herself by diving into an empty pool during Emily's visit, fulfilling the prophecy. After visiting Ruth's veterinarian practice and witnessing the spontaneous healing of a dog she examined, Emily knocks her out and brings her to the morgue, where she orders Ruth to bring R.M.F.'s body back to life. Ruth is able to do so, and Emily dances energetically outside her car in celebration. Speeding to get to the cult's headquarters, Emily becomes distracted and crashes the car, killing Ruth.
In a mid-credits scene, R.M.F. eats a sandwich and spills ketchup on his shirt. A waitress gives him a napkin to clean himself up.
