Alps

Alps centers on a small, offbeat team who offer a peculiar service for the grieving. A nurse, a stretcher bearer, a gymnast and her coach agree to stand in for the deceased at scheduled appointments, helping relatives or coworkers say farewell in a way that feels concrete and controllable. They study the deceased's mannerisms and routines, delivering a living tribute that lets mourners confront loss without the pressures of real memory. The project upends ordinary expectations about care and death, using a cool, deadpan tone to probe how far people will go to cope with grief. The group dynamics shift as boundaries blur and personal motives surface, hinting at tensions beneath the service.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos with Efthymis Filippou scripting, Alps debuted in 2011 as part of Lanthimos's distinctive Greek Weird Wave. The project was produced on a modest budget, underscoring its indie, aspirational nature and experimental look, drawing curious festival attention.

Alps is a noted entry in the Greek Weird Wave, known for its spare dialogue and clinical distance. It helped solidify Lanthimos's reputation for minimalism and for films that use offbeat premises to probe ethics of care and mourning. It also marked a shift toward leaner storytelling in his career.

Critics frame the film around grief and identity, employing a formal restrained style that heightens its unsettling premise. The tension between service and intrusion invites audiences to question how far society should go to mediate sorrow and what people sacrifice for closure. Its calm, precise frame sparks debate among viewers.