Alps

Alps is a Greek drama movie that tells the story of a group of people who impersonate the recently deceased for grieving families. The movie is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and was released in 2011.

The main character of the movie is a woman named Mont Blanc who is a member of a team of four that provides this service. The team includes a man who impersonates the deceased’s husband, one who impersonates a doctor, and another who impersonates the deceased’s child. The team calls itself "Alps" and their service is highly confidential.

Mont Blanc is dedicated to this job and has personal reasons for doing this work. She finds comfort in taking on the identity of others and experiencing their lives. This is evident when she starts to explore the lives of those she impersonates, reading their diaries and visiting their homes.

The movie focuses on the dynamics between the team members, their relationships with the bereaved and each other. The team’s leader is a gym coach named Mont Blanc, who is methodical in her approach to the job, and keeps the team in line. However, as the movie progresses, her personal obsession with the people she impersonates leads her to start breaking her own rules.

The story unfolds when a new member, a young gymnast named Lisa, joins the team after the previous "Alps" member died in a car accident. Lisa joins with the hope that this work will help her forget about her past and start afresh. She is enthusiastic and passionate about her job, but is soon let down when she realizes the truth behind "Alps".

The movie is intense, dark and thought-provoking. It explores themes like identity, control, and the complexities of human relationships. It makes the viewer think about how people cope with grief, and what lengths they would go to find comfort in their loss.

The performances in the movie are outstanding. The actors manage to convey the strange and detached world of "Alps" to the audience. This detachment is the result of the team's refusal to reveal their real identities and the emotions that come with it. It adds an eerie quality to the movie that is both fascinating and unnerving.

The cinematography is another highlight of the movie. The stillness and precision of the camera work add to the intensity and discomfort of the film. The muted color palette adds to the film's distancing effect, creating a sense of detachment from reality.

In conclusion, Alps is an intense and unsettling movie that tells a thought-provoking story about the lengths people go to cope with grief. The performances are excellent, and the cinematography is outstanding. It is not for everyone, as it is quite slow and minimalistic, but for those that can appreciate its intensity and depth, it is a must-watch.