FANTASIA 2020: Cosmic Candy
fantasiaAnna (Maria Kitsou) is a lonely woman stuck in a rigid routine. She works at a supermarket co-founded by her late father, refuses to wear the updated modern uniforms, she purchases exercise equipment and lets them sit in boxes, and she also has a fondness for the titular Pop Rocks-esque treat, Cosmic Candy. Anna has OCD alongside nightmares about her father’s mountain climbing accident; these often affect her relationships, hence why she keeps to herself. Anna’s life takes a 180-degree turn when her next-door neighbour, the 10-year-old Persa (Pipera Maya), winds up at her door explaining that her father is missing.
Cosmic Candy is obviously a whimsical film. In addition to mountain climbing nightmares, Anna also dreams of being trapped inside a gumball machine, the pitch-black sky spotted with multi-coloured stars and shelves lined with classic confectionary. The supermarket is also a whimsy location; its pastel tones give it a unique flair. Stavros Liokalos creates beautiful set decorations, while Alkistis Mamali and Ionna Lygizou are responsible for the costuming and makeup, respectively, that highlight Anna’s flamboyant mind and her blossoming relationship with Persa.
Co-written by director Rino Dragasaki along with Katerina Kaklamani, Cosmic Candy delves into absurdist territory while keeping the growing bond between Anna and Persa at the heart of the film. The two actresses craft a wonderfully charismatic pairing, Anna and Persa grow with each other as they have similar shared experiences. Persa, ever the child, rocks Anna’s world, having complete disregard for Anna’s inflexible lifestyle. She tears open the boxes of exercise equipment, shows up unannounced at Anna’s workplace and even eats every single packet of Cosmic Candy. Despite Persa’s childlike chaos, Anna becomes her pseudo-mother. They understand each other because they have both lost their fathers. While it borders on unbelievable that the grown-up Anna would go along with Persa’s insistence to not go to the authorities in regards to her father’s disappearance, it is clear that Anna listens to Persa because she sees herself in the child.
There are certain points of Cosmic Candy that don’t work. There are plenty of points when Anna and Persa are unlikeable characters based on their actions; they can be argumentative and annoying. The film also relies on the trope of a lonely person being pushed out of their comfort zone by an energetic newcomer but uses a child instead of a lover. Unfortunately, Cosmic Candy still has the required love interest for Anna that feels unnecessary when she already has her bond with Persa. Cosmic Candy works best when it is unveiling the chemistry between Anna and Persa. Anna’s dormant whimsicalness comes out when she is with Persa. Their relationship is unique yet endearing and provides the opportunity for both women to grow with each other.