“Alps” is among the most anticipated films premiering at the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Why? It’s the latest film from Giorgos Lanthimos, the Greek auteur behind last year’s oddball family drama “Dogtooth,” that against all odds, went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film despite being one of the most disturbing pictures to come along in quite a while. Judging by the teaser for “Alps” (iW got the exclusive), Lanthimos hasn’t changed a bit.
If you thought “Dogtooth” was provocative, just wait till you hear what “Alps” is about. It concerns a nurse, a paramedic, a gymnast and a coach who have formed a service for hire: They stand in for dead people by appointment at the behest of relatives, friends or colleagues of the deceased. Everyone operates under a discipline regime demanded by their leader the paramedic, except for the nurse who threatens his rule.
The 50-second teaser shows glimpses from the film, laced with some grandiose, overpowering music that screams “overkill.” But then just before it wraps, the gymnast says a line that kills any hint of pretension. Judging by this clip, Lanthimos is going for the same severely dark comic tone that made “Dogtooth” such a fascinating watch.
After hitting up Venice, the film will have its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
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