It’s About Control

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness is a triptych within one film, but it reveals a common thread throughout: exerting control. In costume designing the anthology, Jennifer Johnson also had to determine boundaries.“The challenge was absolutely delineating the actors playing three different characters, in three different stories,” says the 2018 CDGA winner for I, Tonya.

Johnson devised a set of rules, including assigning each character distinctive color palettes and/or patterns, not to be repeated in other narratives. “To delineate, and make the intention for each person clear, was quite a shift psychologically,” says Johnson. “But also intellectually, so the rules were very important.”

She also employed fashion as a tool in defining the characters and their motivations. In the first sequence, real estate magnate Raymond (Willem Dafoe) preens in a meticulously tailored Mr. Porter suit, accessorized with a bold vintage ’70s silk tie. “It was very important to signify wealth and taste,” says Johnson, who took inspiration from Fiat founder and Italian style icon Gianni Agnelli.

The eccentric boss commands every aspect of underling Robert’s (Jesse Plemons) life, from what he reads to when/if he has sex to how he dresses—down to his Allen Edmonds monk strap shoes and Cartier watch. Adhering to precisely detailed index card instructions, Robert dutifully dons a Loro Piana double-breasted navy suit and a silk ribbed turtleneck sweater, in a very specific shade of pink, by Tom Ford.

“It’s Raymond’s punk meddling. He’s trying to see how far he can push this control to provoke Robert’s discomfort,” says Johnson, about the shimmering, “peacocking” knit, which also contrasts with Robert’s athletic-wear-clad swim instructor wife, Sarah (Hong Chau.) “Raymond’s like a cat playing with a mouse. It’s fun to watch Robert squirm.”

Similarly, Raymond engineers optician Rita’s (Emma Stone) alluringly deliberate outfits, like an ombré micromini dress, strappy Nine West stilettos, and chunky gold jewelry, to further manipulate Robert. “She feels like a plaything or a marionette doll of his and wears things that are completely inappropriate for her line of work,” says Johnson, referring to “an extremely short dress with a little pussy bow 
that is literally tied right at the end of 
her crotch.”

A lack of fashion sense also helps telegraph dubious behavior and ambitions, especially in the final third. On a covert mission for their oceanside cult, Emily (Emma Stone) knocks on doors in a rusty brown Calvin Klein sublabel pantsuit from Dillards, while Andrew (Jesse Plemons) sports a blandly tan oversize shacket and trouser set. Johnson hints at their “suspicious” activities through the duo’s X Files-referential disguises, accessorized by Velcro-secured sport sandals. “The suits are deliberately bad,” says Johnson. “They’re doing their detective work and searching for this new cult leader, but they couldn’t be bothered to get proper shoes.”

Meanwhile, at the compound, reigning prophet Omi (William Dafoe) lords over his flock in another type of suit. To express his close relationship with the water, and his polyamorous and pan-sexual leanings, Johnson clothed Omi as minimally as possible. “He just has to have a fluorescent bikini,” she says, recalling Dafoe immediately gravitating toward the neon orange briefs during a fitting. “He said, ‘Ooh, what is that? I want to try it on.’ When we did the camera test, we didn’t tell Yorgos. Dafoe walked out in it and it was just a must.”

Addressing his followers, Omi dons a soft peach L.L. Bean vintage anorak—possibly procured from his partner Aka (Hong Chau) or another female cult member—with his brash Speedo. “There is something unsettling about it,” says Johnson, about the almost-menacingly confident way Omi wears the discordant look.

Johnson compares the shoot to a “fast-moving train,” so her guidelines also included procedures to help the cast immerse themselves into their continuously new personas quickly. “I like to give the actor socks or underwear in a special color or something in their pocket,” says Johnson, who thoughtfully placed Omi-appropriate crystals in Dafoe’s.“It gives them some little thing to hold onto that feels like they’re suddenly that person,” she continues. “Like they’ve gone into some dreamscape of moviemaking, which is part of the magic of what we do as costume designers.”