Apples (2020)
(Mila)
Country: GR/POL/SLO
Technical: col/1.37:1 91m
Director: Christos Nikou
Cast: Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou
Synopsis:
An epidemic of amnesia sweeps the city. One man buys flowers and forgets where he was going with them. Unclaimed by relatives he joins a reinsertion program to forge a new identity, following simple instructions sent to him on cassette tape, and photographing them to create memories. Gradually, bits of his past life come back to him. And the apples? He likes apples is all, until he is told they are not good for the memory.
Review:
Idiosyncratic down to its Academy format and unique shooting position (no coverage here), this is an offbeat creation typical of the Greek cinema. There are deadpan gags like the cycle riding, the fancy dress party and the car accident, and some shots are held for far too long to make their point. Then there is the affectless central performance, which wears out its interest fairly quickly. Some fine cinematography in low lighting conditions, and nice out-of-focus effects (the fading of memory?), however, do not add up to a great movie, especially one so obscure in its intent: the therapy by which patients build up memories with polaroids (another outdated technology) is surely meant to be parodic, so banal are some of the scenarios; he is 'cured' when he goes to the funeral and remembers who he was buying flowers for. So what? 'Learn to care for others and you will know who you are?'
(Mila)
Country: GR/POL/SLO
Technical: col/1.37:1 91m
Director: Christos Nikou
Cast: Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou
Synopsis:
An epidemic of amnesia sweeps the city. One man buys flowers and forgets where he was going with them. Unclaimed by relatives he joins a reinsertion program to forge a new identity, following simple instructions sent to him on cassette tape, and photographing them to create memories. Gradually, bits of his past life come back to him. And the apples? He likes apples is all, until he is told they are not good for the memory.
Review:
Idiosyncratic down to its Academy format and unique shooting position (no coverage here), this is an offbeat creation typical of the Greek cinema. There are deadpan gags like the cycle riding, the fancy dress party and the car accident, and some shots are held for far too long to make their point. Then there is the affectless central performance, which wears out its interest fairly quickly. Some fine cinematography in low lighting conditions, and nice out-of-focus effects (the fading of memory?), however, do not add up to a great movie, especially one so obscure in its intent: the therapy by which patients build up memories with polaroids (another outdated technology) is surely meant to be parodic, so banal are some of the scenarios; he is 'cured' when he goes to the funeral and remembers who he was buying flowers for. So what? 'Learn to care for others and you will know who you are?'
(Mila)
Country: GR/POL/SLO
Technical: col/1.37:1 91m
Director: Christos Nikou
Cast: Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou
Synopsis:
An epidemic of amnesia sweeps the city. One man buys flowers and forgets where he was going with them. Unclaimed by relatives he joins a reinsertion program to forge a new identity, following simple instructions sent to him on cassette tape, and photographing them to create memories. Gradually, bits of his past life come back to him. And the apples? He likes apples is all, until he is told they are not good for the memory.
Review:
Idiosyncratic down to its Academy format and unique shooting position (no coverage here), this is an offbeat creation typical of the Greek cinema. There are deadpan gags like the cycle riding, the fancy dress party and the car accident, and some shots are held for far too long to make their point. Then there is the affectless central performance, which wears out its interest fairly quickly. Some fine cinematography in low lighting conditions, and nice out-of-focus effects (the fading of memory?), however, do not add up to a great movie, especially one so obscure in its intent: the therapy by which patients build up memories with polaroids (another outdated technology) is surely meant to be parodic, so banal are some of the scenarios; he is 'cured' when he goes to the funeral and remembers who he was buying flowers for. So what? 'Learn to care for others and you will know who you are?'