Alpeis

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.

Alps offers another engagingly weird examination of the human psyche from co-writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos. Focusing on those who profit off death to show some of the darker sides of humanity in a cold, offbeat and occasionally uncomfortable fashion.

The core four (Angeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Verkins and Ariane Labed) are all great at conveying the desensitised personality the film is going for. Their sympathy always feels fake and they all nail the delivery of this very specific type of comedy.

Yorgos Lanthimos really excels at creating environments that are just so bleak, especially through their desaturation. The overall weirdness can be a bit too much here in a way his other films balance better but even then it's still impressive to see a very distinctive voice find its footing.

Despite its premise doing a complete U-turn, Yorgos Lanthimos' Alps is a fitting companion piece to Dogtooth and presents the Greek filmmaker employing the same bizarre elements & narrative techniques that made his last film a weird & whacky oddity. And just like before, it is equally intriguing & frustrating.

Co-written & directed by Lanthimos, the concept is interesting but isn't realised to full potential, plus there are stretches of bland, repetitive moments that don't add much to the plot. Character interactions retain their peculiarity, and are delivered with blank expressions which cranks its quirky flavour. However, the ending isn't satisfying enough.

More a tragedy than an absurdist comedy, things do take a serious turn in the later half but these characters are so distant that we aren't invested in their predicament at any given time. Angeliki Papoulia stands out with an input that only gets crazier as plot progresses, and her breakdown scene is as disturbing as it is heartbreaking to watch from the sidelines.

Overall, Alps may not be a singularly bold & daring effort but it allows Lanthimos to further refine his filmmaking style, and carries his signature all over its frames. Not as impressive as his best works, the film lacks a sense of direction and is a tad too preoccupied with upping the eccentricity factor. Nevertheless, if you liked Dogtooth, then Alps is a definite recommendation.

Whilst not without interest, I thought Alps was a bit of a mess of a film. Maybe the dark satirical humour was lost in translation somewhat because The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer were two of my favourite films of their respective years. The Favourite less so, so perhaps not just a language barrier. Dogtooth was a wonderful kind of weird, but still didn't hit the heights of Lobster and TKOASD. After seeing Alps I'm not so sure I'm a huge YL fan after all. What the hell was it about other than a strange cult where 'members' act out the recently deceased so as to help people's grieving process? I like weird, but maybe this was a step too far. In all honesty it was a bit dull. A strangely diasappointing 5 out of ten, but yet I can't wait to see what he does next now he's got a huge box office hit under his belt. I think he should cast Colin Farrell - it's bound to be great!

With the singularly compelling premise of a mysterious group offering to take over the roles of recently deceased people to provide relief for their loved ones, it came as quite the shock to me that Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos's follow-up to his 2009 Oscar-nominated "Dogtooth" (one of my all-time favorites) ultimately failed at living up to its concept.

Throughout the entirety of "Alps", I felt I was gazing in awe at a beautiful seed sadly incapable of germination. The film barely got anywhere while maintaining an incredibly slow pace and irritating visual style consisting of incessantly restrained deep-focus cinematography. There was so much potential wasted on scenes far too peculiar and insignificant to add any depth to the story or further develop the characters. Seldom did anything rightfully earn its place in the film; the multiple sex scenes seemed to be there with the sole purpose of being extremely awkward and obscene, while all the attempts at absurd humor felt slightly forced and weren't as effective as they should have been due to the narrative's intermittent solemnity.

This brings me to the film's greatest problem, which was that— on top of struggling to find its own voice and tone in its ridiculously irrational approach— it never really figured out what message it wanted to convey to its audience. Evidently Lanthimos was trying to say something about human nature and the craziness of consumer society, but he didn't succeed in delivering his thoughts coherently this time around. I hate comparing, but I must say I found the profound social critique that seeped through the bizarre surface of "Dogtooth" to be far superior in elaboration.

The end result of "Alps" was a confused, detached (albeit well-acted, especially by Aggeliki Papoulia) jumble beyond anyone's realm of comprehension, so overwhelmingly filled with unjustified senselessness that the most I could do was simply sit and stare at the screen, patiently awaiting some real substance, only to be disappointed by sheer staleness.

I suppose I somewhat admired "Alps" for all that it could've been following its eccentric uniqueness, but I can't see how anyone in their right mind could have truly enjoyed it.