APPLES | FILM REVIEW
Dir: Christos Nikou (15, 90 mins)
An amnesia pandemic hits the world in this surreal, dreamlike Greek comedy drama. Aris Servetalis plays an apparently bewildered man who, losing his memory and unsure how long it will take him to get it back, embarks on a new beginning. When no-one claims him after months of befuddlement, a collection of health officials construct a way forward: he is given a new apartment, new clothes and instructions to follow, taking Polaroids of himself as he carries out these tasks.
He rides a bike far too small for him, goes to a fancy dress party as an astronaut, awkwardly visits lap-dancing clubs and eventually forms an apparent connection with another woman, Sofia Georgovassili’s Anna. She is also going through the same process, listening to taped instructions on a lo-fi cassette recorder before acting on them. It’s a dour and absurdist setup, much in the style of fellow Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, The Favourite), with whom writer/director Nikou had previously collaborated.
It is, however, an emotional journey too, often willingly obtuse but adding up to a satisfying whole. Aris’ obsession with apples and his shellshocked standoffishness all come full circle with slow-burn skill. The camera work is detached, observational; the film taking place in a world similar but different, rules established amidst sparsely populated Greek streets with their often strangely removed and funny officials.
Nikou packs the film with haunting imagery: astronauts dancing, the slow peel of an apple, albums full of strangely constructed Polaroids. The humour is droll, the pacing slow and immersive, with Servetalis’ central performance carefully modulated, often a beguiling blank. A reconstruction of memory and exploration of loss, Apples is a thoughtful film that bears fruit.
Out now via Curzon Home Video
words KEIRON SELF