Alpeis (2011)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 93 minuten
Alternative title: Alps
Country:
Greece / France / Canada / United States
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Stars: Aris Servetalis and Johnny Vekris
IMDb score:
6,3 (15.646)
Releasedate: 1 September 2011
Alpeis plot
A nurse, an ambulance worker, a gymnast and a coach run a small business called “Alps”. They can be hired to re-enact deceased persons in their daily routines for the benefit of their grieving relatives, friends and colleagues. There is a wide variety in the types of roles they play, yet they don't just take any offer. The company operates illegally, under a strict regime of their leader, the ambulance driver. He has appropriated the name of the largest Alpine giant as a code name: Mont Blanc.
Actors and actresses
Nurse (Monte Rosa)
Stretcher-bearer (Mont Blanc)
Coach (Matterhorn)
Gymnast
Nurse's father
Lamp shop owner
Blind Lady
Tennis player in hospital bed
Tennis Player's Father
Tennis Player's Mother
Reviews & comments
sinterklaas
-
- 11821 messages
- 3321 votes
After Dog Tooth and the later The Lobster, I had to see this one. And yet here it seems as if the director was in deep trouble. He makes another attempt to present his subcutaneous techniques, but here it didn't really touch or fascinate me as much as his other two titles. We are dealing with a tyranical crazy dance teacher who holds his athletes like a doll on a string... at least, provided you want to move on from dancing to pop music instead of boring classical dance. Yes, apparently the candidates are willing to do a lot for that, literally and figuratively. A little too much even.
The concept itself is nicely conceived, but I found the execution a bit too superficial and a bit too far-fetched, as if Lanthimos was trying to scrape everything together to recreate his talent from Dog Tooth. The Haneke-like style can be found again in an attractive way, and the detachment was also present in an excellent way. However, he could have used a little more sense and energy to go a little deeper. But that was achieved at The Lobster.
3.5* to make up for it.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
-
- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Bizarre film, but within the line of what I have seen before from Lanthimos. Always experimental films that are difficult to grasp in reality. Reminds me a bit of his later "The Lobster" where as a viewer you had to immerse yourself in the spirit of the film. Here too, substitute actors play a role within a family to replace the deceased. Original and nice as a concept, but of course impossible to imagine in reality. You cannot replace a partner, a child... with a surrogate. A pet perhaps for some, but not people.
Nevertheless, interesting scenes and an excellent Aris Servetalis. I therefore found the adultery scene funny and sad at the same time, absurd too. Just like the oral sex scene where that sentence had to be repeated because it made him think of his wife.
It also became tragic with the uncomfortable scenes in which Aris Servetalis took on the role of the deceased tennis daughter.
The question is - and it is also borne out in the film - how far fiction is from reality in the long run. Who are you as an individual after so much time? Who are you? Or will you be replaced by one of your many roles? It certainly bothers Aris Servetalis. Not bad. Narrow 3.5*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
El ralpho
-
- 1485 messages
- 1096 votes
Distant surviving relatives
It's starting to look more and more like Yorgos Lanthimos' work, outside of Dogtooth, is not for me. During a review, I do not rule out rating Dogtooth higher than I initially did because the detached way of acting seemed to fit the setting well. However, the director seems to apply this style as standard, which means that his work starts to feel not only monotonous, but also far too distant. This worked well in the world of Dogtooth, but in his other films this factor is starting to irritate me more and more.
This is also the case in Alps. The concept is great, but unfortunately underutilized. In fact, I think it's a waste of the whole idea that certainly deserved better development. Although a number of scenes are strong on their own, I felt no connection with the characters and the world in which they lived, precisely because of the almost soulless acting. If this business existed in the real world, as a customer I would not want to see an emotionless robot sitting opposite me, but someone who fulfills his role with a little more emotion and humanity. Anyway, this is apparently Lanthimos' style that he copy-pasted in all his films.
Apart from this biggest disturbing factor, I didn't find the vaguely sudden ending too satisfying. I most enjoyed the dance in this scene, but in all other areas the director had long lost my attention.
2.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Trending Movies
Trending Shows
Corporate & Media
Realtimes Network
Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31(315)-764002
