Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most singular voices in contemporary cinema. From his Greek-language early work to his English-language international successes, he has developed a striking cinematic vocabulary defined by formal daring and narrative weirdness. In this article I trace his career, explore his influences and craft (camera, light, framing, casting), examine his relationship with actors, and look ahead at his future projects. All based on what he has actually said and what his collaborators & critics have observed.
Lanthimos emerged as part of the so-called “Greek Weird Wave” with films such as Dogtooth (2009) and Alps (2011). In his own words: “It’s a fragment of a story or a situation that we observe – it builds from there and two years later I’m here trying to remember where it all started from.” The Independent
His more prominent international films include:
His filmography shows a steady escalation: from low-budget Greek films to major studio international productions, yet he retains an idiosyncratic voice.
Lanthimos has repeatedly resisted simple categorisation. In a January 2024 BFI interview he said:
“It’s always not the most pleasant thing to just be boxed into one thing. I guess there is some kind of absurdity in the films, but I hope they’re more complex than that.” Yahoo Movies UK
On thematic concerns, he has noted:
“I don’t think hope necessarily comes from the plot of a film… I think hope for me, even if the film is quite dark… humour helps.” The Independent+1
Thus: dark themes + rigorous formal approach + humour. He sees his films as reflections of a “crazy and sad” world rather than detached allegories. The Guardian
When asked about storytelling he said:
“The idea is that we don’t [belong to genre]. Hopefully, we’re creating films that are a thing unto their own and don’t belong in any genre.” The Independent
Which underlines his ambition: not to conform to standard genre circuits, but to invent his own idiom.
One of the richest veins to explore in Lanthimos’s work is his visual and formal style. His collaborations with cinematographer Robbie Ryan have been especially revealing.
In The Favourite, Ryan explains:
“Yorgos always wanted to shoot with candlelight… the majority of the film is flame. … He doesn’t like typical angles. He doesn’t like convention. His idea of hell is to have a shot and then a reverse matching shot, you might as well go home.” Awards Daily
From the Kodak blog we have more detail:
“Wide lenses, natural light and fluid camera movement were all of great importance to Yorgos … He hates the idea of conventional coverage.” British Cinematographer
“One film critic said The Favourite felt like a playground that turns into a battleground that becomes a prison. … The wide lenses were pretty integral to that experience.” Kodak
In more concrete terms: they used extreme wide-angle lenses and minimal lighting (often candlelight or natural) so that the space becomes as much a character as the actors. The result: claustrophobic expansiveness, an unsettling sense of place.
Lanthimos and Ryan say the large spaces of The Favourite were used to full effect:
“With [Yorgos] being Greek, and the royal family being so English, I was always a bit curious as to how he would make it… He doesn’t like Shot-Reverse-Shot at all.” MovieMaker+1
Thus many scenes avoid typical editing grammar: fewer reverse-angles, more wide frames, more movement of the camera (whip-pans, long takes) so the viewer is forced to inhabit the space rather than being guided through. Ryan describes using wide lenses to show actors with nowhere to hide in the frame: “You see so much of the room … there’s nowhere to escape.” Awards Daily
Lanthimos reflects on his editing approach:
“No, I don’t think anything dramatic has ever happened. … The only thing that I changed recently … I decided not to do that anymore, to not watch an assembly of the whole film, because it just feels too daunting.” Collider
This suggests that he is conscious of how structure and rhythm shape meaning in his films. He’s not aiming for easy coherence; he wants a process that allows for discomfort, reflection, and visual complexity.
Lanthimos has built a small “repertory company” of actors (most notably Emma Stone) with whom he returns. In a GQ piece exploring his relationships with actors:
“He won’t blow smoke up your ass … He’s gentle, and calm … He will also not pretend if it’s not what he wanted.” (Olivia Colman on him) GQ
He describes his rehearsal process as playful and designed to build trust: in a Yahoo interview he said:
“I come up with games for the actors to get to know each other and feel comfortable … We shouldn’t be taking things too seriously. We are making movies.” Yahoo Movies UK
Emma Stone, about their collaboration on Poor Things, said they became friends through the early development and that she “immediately jumped on” the project. Yahoo Movies UK
In Kinds of Kindness, actor Joe Alwyn said:
“He seems to collect people, and I like that it’s like a little family.” reddit.com
So: Lanthimos fosters a collaborative, trust-based environment even while the films themselves are formally rigorous and emotionally demanding.
On this blog, I write about what I love: AI, web design, graphic design, SEO, tech, and cinema, with a personal twist.
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