Kinetta (2005)

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Siskoid
You won't find Yorgos Lanthimos' cool precision in his first solo directorial effort, Kinetta. It's all hand-held, scoreless, messy... and quite boring. We watch a trio of characters doing chores, eating, even sleeping, and crave the moments where they interact and where, we think, a point might be made. For the most part, these interactions are play-acted, coldly simulated shades of some abusive relationship, perhaps reenacting what they think life is like, to furnish their apathetic existence with SOMEthing. There's little dialog to enliven the piece, and when there is, it's like watching a play where they only read the stage directions. Perhaps Lanthimos was inspired by the absurdity of prepping a film, and how cold staging and struggling for plot might look to an outsider. If they are making a film (a camera is involved), we're denied that context. And the camera isn't always there to record what seems to cause the "toxic relationship" (the "director"'s affairs, conducted like cold auditions), or stem from it (an otherwise unmotivated suicide attempt). There's certainly the kernel of an experimental short in there - I think it would make its point (if I've divined it correctly) in a fraction of the time. 2 years 3 months ago