Greece’s cinematic “weirdness” strikes again in Dennis Iliadis’s latest feature, Buzzheart, which world-premiered in the International Competition of this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Myth, tragedy, violence and dysfunctional families have ultimately become staple themes in Greek cinema, especially in the works we see playing on the festival circuit – even more so after the incredible success of Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest works. One might ask whether or not that is a good thing; let’s just say that this is something to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Iliadis is certainly part of that “school of thought”, and in his pic, set in 1990s Athens, we zoom in on 19-year-old Argyris (Claudio Kaya), who finds himself unexpectedly dating Mary (Konstantina Messini), a beautiful girl seemingly out of his league. When she invites him to her parents’ secluded country home, the weekend quickly spirals into something far darker. Her folks (played by Evelina Papoulia and Giorgos Liantos), claiming to be protecting their fragile daughter, insist on putting the young man through a series of increasingly bizarre and brutal tests so that he can prove his worth.

The premise works well enough, managing to keep viewers hooked. With several twists and turns – most of them easy to grasp, luckily – we gradually uncover the truth behind all of this, intertwined with a few oneiric scenes. The boundaries between reality and dreams are rather clear; what is hard to determine is which realm is worse.

That being said, the film’s most noticeable quality is its eerie atmosphere. This is present throughout via Evan Maragkoudakis’s excellent camera work and low-key lighting, the careful production design made up of props and environments that contribute to the aforementioned “weirdness” (including bizarre plush toys and a toilet bowl with plants growing in it, left there as a sort of decorative item), and a sombre score by Coti K.

The cast does a fair job, too. Kaya credibly plays the part of a young man trapped among psychopaths, Messini imbues her character with just the right dose of fragility, whilst Papoulia and Liantos show off their range of perversion and violence while setting up the game of survival. And commendably, the closure of the narrative arc is adequately rewarding; something not to be underestimated when it comes to watching films that appear “weird for the sake of being weird” – Lanthimos’s latest, Kinds of Kindness [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], is just one of the most recent examples of this trend.

All in all, Iliadis’s feature isn’t strikingly original, but it is still entertaining and intriguing enough. The core question – how far would someone go to prove their love? – is explored well, and the pacing remains adequately engaging throughout. It would be interesting to see him at work with a different script because what his directing lacks now is something that would make him stand out from the crowd, despite his undeniably elegant touch.

Buzzheart was produced by Greek firms Neda Film and Panoply Films together with US-based outfit Twin7.