Writer of “Dogtooth” at Sundance Festival with “L”
If you thought “Dogtooth” and “Alps” were weird -- the two critically acclaimed feature films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and co-written by Efthimis Filippou that put Greece back on the cinema map in the past three years -- a peek at the trailer teaser for “L” promises a lot more head scratching and eyebrow raising. How all of this bizarreness is handled is anyone’s guess, but if “Dogtooth” and “Alps” are any indicators, it will certainly be original.
“L” is another collaborative work by Filippou, who this time has teamed up with director Babis Makridis -- voted among the 10 Greek Filmmakers to Watch by the Raindance Festival in 2010 -- in what is his debut feature.
“L” begins with an ode to being a bear and ends with an ode to the sea. It is about a 40-year-old man who lives in his car, separated from his wife and kids, who live in another car. They meet in parking lots. A professional driver, the man delivers honey to a narcoleptic man and often dreams of his friend, who was killed when a hunter mistook him for a bear. Frequently late delivering honey, the man is fired, and his driving skills are questioned. Thrust into existential uncertainty, he abandons “car life” and joins a rogue motorbike gang.
Premiering on January 23 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it will be competing, the film is pegged in Sundance’s program as one of the “more original, willfully bizarre films of the year,” as it shows the man setting up meetings to see his family in parking lots and losing his job -- delivering honey -- before joining a motorcycle street gang.
“L” stars Aris Servetalis, Makis Papadimitriou, Lefteris Mathaios, Nota Tserniafski and Stavros Raptis and premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on January 23. It is in Greek with English subtitles.
Source: Ekathimerini and Trailer Addict 21.01.2012
