Alps

If it is one thing I really love, it is being in a state of PARANOIA. In Yorgos Lanthimos's Alps, we follow a group of individuals, mainly gymnastic instructors, who basically began a business where they act as someones recently-diseased loved-one in order for the family (thinking of parents) cope with the grieving process. Sounds like a wacky story. Well, it is :).

As I like to mention before all my reviews, I have seen the previous work of Lanthimos. Mainly the very successful Greek film, Dogtooth, which is a dysfunctional family with the kids being taught the wrong things in order to be safe from the outside world. That one I loved.

BUT I ALSO LOVED THIS ONE! The small things that they do with the camera-work blows my mind. There are a lot of times where our main character, or so I think, simply named Nurse (played by Angeliki Papoulia who was in Dogtooth) speaks with another individual where we cannot see their face. It is either cut-out, blurred, or even covered by shadows. I love this. I have seen Kar-Wai Wong do it in a couple of his films. It adds a little mystery and confusion to the story. Do these people not matter? Will they matter? What have you!

The tone of the film is pretty much the same throughout it all. Some little indents here and there, but in my opinion, it is worth the watch, regardless how slow you think it is.

I just find it very fun to watch these type of people (broken) living there lives on a day to day basis. Not the major things they do throughout there day that effects them, but the small things that we rarely take notice of. Like small chit-chat with someone else, etc.

I must say, that as much as they seem they are pushing it away, I find this film very touching. The way they have to impersonate a family member who is dead makes up for the abnormal conversations. You can tell that when they are going through this process that they are acting; very badly, too. But that is how it would go. That is not something you can enjoy, nor hate. Nor will you think it's a good idea or bad. It just feels as though it is something to do.

A KVIFF screening, from the young and talented Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos, a follow-up of DOGTOOTH (2009), which was a dark horse nominee of Oscar's BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR and I haven't watched yet. But Giorgos' eerie approach of scrutinizing modern-day's communicative malaise has its overt justification in ALPS.

Absurd, genuinely designed, full of fits of laughters about the mimicking set pieces, the film presents itself in a more comprehensive elaboration than I expected, although initially, it takes some time to figure out the real occupation and motivation behind the self-dubbed "Alps"group (maybe Everest could be a more befitting name since its the highest mountain on the earth and its irreplaceability should be more cogent than Alps as long as height is concerned).

But the wacky "impersonating the deceased"groundwork is not potent enough to sustain the film into a genius employment, since the demanding of this type of service and its viability to perform its presumed obligation (to console the next-of-kins' grief) is a moot question here, and eventually a win-win condition has to yield to the conceptual willfulness (in the film it is the identity misconception, a spontaneously unsurprising aftermath). But performance-wise, leading actress Aggeliki Papoulia is a natural treasure, rendering the eccentric antics much more personal dedication (which also includes an equivocal default of the relationship between her and her father, another Alps' case or not?), I put her among my top 10 list of BEST LEADING ACTRESS line-up of 2011.

ALPS is a patchwork piece, nonetheless, Giorgos' one-of-a-kind singularity alone could be singled out as one of the most intriguing and cutting-edge film artist to bring some mondo gratification to cinema nerds.

Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos's second feature film "Alps" is just as thought provoking and bizarre as his Academy Award nominated debut "Dogtooth". He paints a very surreal picture that can be hard to understand, but somehow is still very engaging.

"Alps" is the name of a clandestine group of four people who offer a service to impersonate the recently deceased in order to help their clients through the grieving process. This group is comprised of a nurse, a rhythmic gymnast and her coach, and another man who is their leader. They are called the "Alps" because it is ambiguous and doesn't say what they do, as well as being irreplaceable. They meet in a gymnasium and don't go by their real names but are referred to by mountain peaks associated with the Alps. The leader is Mount Blanc, the Nurse and the stories main character is called Mount Rose.

The film is mainly focused on Mount Rose, played by Aggrelikki Papoulia who also starred in "Dogtooth" as the Eldest daughter. It is about the lost of identity and losing your connections to reality. Mount Rose is a nurse who lives with her elderly father, but also seems to be a playing the part of his late wife. She has several Alps clients and it is hard to find who the "real" Mount Rose is. The Gymnast and coach are another thing altogether, she is always in training and never seems to be ready. Mount Blanc is sort of a mystery. He is the quiet and stoic leader of the group who during a game of who would you most like to impersonate chooses Bruce Lee.

When Mount Rose breaks one of the rules of being an Alp she is cast out, this is where she loses her proverbial sh** and has a complete mental breakdown. Like trying to describe the meaning of a Salvador Dali painting, both "Alps" and "Dogtooth" just need to be experienced and usually more than once. Both movies are now available on Netflix watch Instantly.

While it's not true of all his works, I came to know Yorgos Lanthimos for the distinctive traits he instilled in the first few of his films I watched. In 'Dogtooth,' 'The lobster,' and 'The killing of a sacred deer,' the storytelling and character dynamics are typified by direct and plainspoken dialogue, and abnormal social dynamics, that portend very open personal boundaries if not a total lack thereof; and a pointedly dry, flat tone that accentuates and amplifies what comes off to any average viewer as deeply uncomfortable, gawky situations. It's safe to say that 'Alps,' following a group of people who impersonate the recently deceased for bereaved clients, fits well within that same broad model, especially as characters are spotlighted in ways that call their mental states and relationships into question. I think this 2011 feature comes off as perhaps slightly less refined, but I wonder if that doesn't actually work in its favor. All facets of the screenplay - written between the filmmaker and regular collaborator Efthymis Filippou - dialogue, characters, scene writing, narrative - speak to an unusual intimacy in which barriers between people are very consciously removed, reflected not just in how characters speak and act but how they carry themselves when they are ostensibly by themselves, and acting for themselves. Alongside Lanthimos' direction and Christos Voudouris' cinematography, wherein even the basic framing is often very up close and personal, most every component part suggests an intense closeness or magnification through which imperfections become more readily perceptible. Thus if in any measure it's true that the picture lacks some degree of polish, it fits with the overall vibe.

The scenario and story that Lanthimos and Filippou conjured is roundly fascinating; even as some scenes evoke a sense of vicarious embarrassment for how awkward they look or feel, we're kept locked in for the long haul. Particularly with the nurse character who is more or less centered as a protagonist the movie becomes a sort of free-form exploration of who more greatly needs the artificial relationships that the Alps' activities facilitate, and to some further extent of what becomes of relationships when any and/or all such delineated boundaries are set aside. The cast is a treasure in bringing the tableau to bear, though those familiar with the director's other works will be grateful to recognize recurring star Angeliki Papoulia, who was such a tremendous presence in 'Dogtooth' especially. This is another oddity, for sure, but definitely kith and kin with Lanthimos' other titles, and I could scarcely be more happy with just how engrossing it is. Everything here looks and sounds terrific, including costume design, hair, makeup, and even lighting, and a scattering of stunts and effects, and the result should be very pleasing for anyone who is a fan of the weird, wide possibilities that cinema has to offer. I really don't think there's any going wrong with Lanthimos' oeuvre, and for as curious and excellent as it is, I'm glad to give 'Alps' my very high recommendation right alongside its brethren.

Alps is a movie where tone was all there was to offer. Having seen it work so well in Dogtooth, Lanthimos seems to have neglected everything else that made it as effective and memorable as it was.

There are no stakes, there's nothing to root for, nor is there anything to reflect and learn from. Everything happens because the script says it happens. And if there is in fact something profound hidden underneath all those layers of vapid cynicism like the "art crowd" says there is, then the movie does a horribly poor job even letting us know that there is.

But not everything I have to offer this movie is criticism. Because from a technical aspect, the movie is more than competent. I actually found Alps to be quite pleasing visually. The camerawork was so expertly done that I repeatedly found myself acknowledging the compositions. And even the actors did a pretty good job with what little was handed to them. Angeliki Papoulia stands out in particular; especially in the climactic "break-in" scene, where everything interesting about it was her performance.

Overall, this movie felt like someone was attempting the most exaggerated Lanthimos parody with every one of the director's signature tropes turned up to 11. Watch it only if you must.