A group of people start a business where they impersonate
lost loved ones to help clients with the grieving process. DRAMA
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Alps (2011)Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou Starring Angeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris, Ariane Labed |
I have access to the three films Yorgos Lanthimos wrote and directed prior to his unbelievable run of The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favourite. I watched Kinetta from '05, Dogtooth from '09, and now Alps from 2011. He is one of the most ambitious directors in their prime right now and I couldn’t be more grateful to have seen all of the feature length films he has directed. Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou wrote most of his films together and it’s just a fantastic duo. They clearly push one another to be as strange as possible.
Alps is the name of a team or a business I guess, that impersonates deceased people. They get contacted by people who miss their loved ones and they will go as far as learning their mannerisms and little quirks. They all have their own clients but they sort of work as a team. One of the members lies about a client so she can have them to herself, but consequences come when you get close to a really strange family. Lanthimos likes to leave things up for interpretation and use characters that are extremely dark mentally. He does this while making you laugh constantly and feel a little dirty during the process. Angeliki Papoulia blew me away as one of the Alps team members who might’ve taken things too far. I love how serious Lanthimos films feel without being self-righteous. His work is so distinctive and rewarding to experience. I’m glad I have seen everything since Kinetta in 2005 now, but I’m in no way finished because his films definitely require multiple viewings to fully grasp what’s going on. |