We know Kinds of Kindness is an anthology of three short stories that aren’t connected (technically) but do share a few thematic throughlines. However, there’s also one common thread between all three parts of Yorgos Lanthimos’ film, because the character R.M.F. appears briefly in every story and each section title includes his name. However, his relevance to the greater project is quite ambiguous.
So, with that in mind, I decided to ask the stars of Kinds of Kindness – Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons – about this character played by Yorgos Stefanakos, and their answers only made me more confused…but, I think that’s the point.
Immediately after I asked about R.M.F.’s role in the critically acclaimed Kinds of Kindness, Willem Dafoe piped up to say he was going to let his co-star take the question. So, to the best of his abilities, Jesse Plemons explained who he thinks R.M.F. is and how his interpretation of him has changed over time to me, saying:
It's tough to say because reading the script, then shooting, so much of it kind of depends on where you are when you encounter the script, or watch it. And so my opinion evolved and changed throughout shooting it. I don't know. It was really funny, someone that was at the screening in Cannes said, ‘Oh, poor R.M.F.’ ‘Why?!? Are you kidding...what because of his shirt? Because he spilled ketchup or mustard on a shirt?’ The through line? I don't, I couldn't, I don't know. Can Yorgos articulate that? I don't know. He wouldn't.
It’s not surprising that The Power of the Dog actor didn’t have a straight answer, Yorgos Lanthimos’ movies tend to leave you with more questions. His movie Poor Things, which won a ton of Oscars in 2024, was like that too. He’s great at making unique, thought-provoking and ambiguous art, and this movie and R.M.F’s role are another example of that.
Willem Dafoe, who decided to hop in and give his perspective too, agreed that Lanthimos wouldn’t have said what he thinks R.M.F.’s greater meaning is. He then went on to explain that that might be the point:
He wouldn't. I think it's kind of a game, and it's like the film itself. People are going to bring their experience to it…It's rich enough material that yeah, people will put it together the way they need to put it together. But I think it's clear that it's not clear. And it's a little bit of a game. So if you’re game for the game, leap in and have a swing at it.
As our review of Kinds of Kindness states, the film is “like a puzzle,” and it takes time to put all the pieces together. For Plemons, his interpretation of the film and R.M.F. specifically has developed over time. He told me his most recent feelings about the recurring character, and they’re pretty wild:
One thing, this isn't fully an answer, but one thing that I felt watching the movie for the first time, that I hadn't thought about until I saw it, was, you know, with the three films we’re all playing different characters, there was some sort of reincarnation feeling that I got watching it, which never occurred to me while I was shooting it. And so maybe R.M.F. is this constant sort of immortal figure that. I don’t know.
I’ll admit it, when I walked out of my screening for this film, I had a similar thought. What if R.M.F. is some sort of immortal god-like figure? It’s certainly possible.
As you likely discerned if you watched the Kinds of Kindness trailer, this project on the 2024 movie schedule is bonkers, and it’s not trying to give you straight answers. It wants you to really think about the connections and draw your own conclusions.
On that note, the Spider-Man actor followed up his co-star's comments with his own possible greater meaning for R.M.F., saying:
Or a threat of nature that almost, like a not a god figure, but something that goes through everything.
R.M.F. certainly did go through everything, and he was so present in every section of this movie because he was the one character who remained the same. Every other actor in this film played someone wildly different in each part, so when the same guy shows up every time as the same character, it’s something to ponder.
To try and come to a conclusion about R.M.F. yourself, you can catch Kinds of Kindness in theaters now.
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