TIFF 2020: Apples
TIFF 2020A look at the human condition, Christos Nikou’s Apples follows Aris (Aris Servetalis), a man suffering from amnesia. A world that mirrors our own amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of Apples experience a slow-moving plague. While the details of the illness are limited, it seems to have been around long enough for the people of Greece to be adapting to it. Most people continue about their usual business. Instead of dying from a virus, people are afflicted with severe amnesia. Those who are unfortunate enough to be struck by the illness get corralled into the government’s “New Identity” program, so normalised that it’s advertised on the radio between Simon and Garfunkel songs.
Luckily, the program doesn’t seem sinister. It functions more like a rehabilitation centre for memory loss rather than an evil experimental testing centre. Found with no identification and no friends and family that claim him, Aris’ prescription is documenting his activities, taking a polaroid for everything he manages to accomplish. Instead of jogging his memories, the tasks are more so to provide Aris with the opportunity to craft a new identity. Attend a classic horror movie screening, attend a costume party, ride a bike, have a one night stand at a bar. The doctors are taking Aris through life’s journey, albeit at a much faster pace.
Nikou’s film truly excels in its visuals. Light always follows Aris, a motif for illuminating memory, yet he always tries to hide from it. Another time he is buying apples at the market, as the clerk tells him apples are good for the brain, he switches them for oranges. It’s unclear why Aris never considers an attempt at getting back his old life, never looking at re-discovery. The film moves at its own pace, it’s slow-moving but Nikou keeps the film engaging with its world-building. The cinematography by Bartosz Swiniarski is especially stunning; with a muted colour palette, it perfectly reflects Apples’ theme of memory. A music box score connects each new task. It’s also a very strange film, reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos. Nikou previously worked with the director on Dogtooth as assistant director and script supervisor, among other projects. He shamelessly follows in Lanthimos’ footsteps, with many of the scenarios in Apples not turning out the way one would expect.
While Nikou’s work is clearly reminiscent of Lanthimos, his feature debut Apples is still very much his own. While strange, the film is never deadpan; it’s much more delicate and tender as Aris goes about crafting his new identity. It does struggle at points: Nikou tries to squeeze too many ideas into the film and it flounders with restraint. Despite the fascinating world Nikou has built, he is never quite able to fully dive into the amnesiac world. The film lacks clarity as Nikou doesn’t know exactly what he is trying to say about memory and society. Still, Apples is an incredibly promising effort with Nikou giving a fresh voice to Greek cinema.