ALPS directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou with Aris Servetalis, Aggeliki Papoulia, Johnny Vekris and Ariane Labed. A filmswelike release. 93 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (June 22). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNNN
Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow-up to his absurd, Oscar-nominated comedy Dogtooth is another study of bizarre social dynamics.
This one’s about four well-intentioned people (among them Aggeliki Papoulia and Aris Servetalis) who offer a strange service to those who’ve lost a loved one: they’ll impersonate the departed for a few hours every week, the better to help the bereaved achieve closure.
Of course, things go wrong almost immediately, thanks to the unpredictable nature of human beings and the queasy-making sexuality of the participants – a similar issue in Dogtooth and its sister project, Athina Rachel Tsingari’s Attenberg, in which Lanthimos co-starred with Ariane Labed, who appears here as well.
There’s a lot about ALPS that’s similar to those films, actually, but that’s not a criticism Lanthimos is getting at something very specific about authority and repression in both films, and it’s fascinating to watch him work through his issues.
