Apples

An epidemic of amnesia is affecting the citizens of Athens. When Aris (Aris Servetalis) is found—blank-faced, uncomprehending, and with no ID—on a bus, this seeming victim of the new plague is taken to the Disturbed Memory Department of a neurological hospital, where doctors enrol him a recovery program designed to help unclaimed patients build new identities. Armed with an audio cassette tape with instructions about tasks to perform and a Polaroid camera to capture the performance, Aris re-enters the world… Greek writer-director Christos Nikou’s surreal and enigmatic work is a beguiling exploration of identity and reality.

‘Splendidly poignant and creepy… Nikou previously worked as an assistant director on Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Dogtooth” and he clearly came away infected. “Apples,” his debut feature, has the same deadpan sensibility and a similar line in mordant black comedy… But what prevents “Apples” from becoming a simple Lanthimos copycat is its comparative kindness… Where a lesser director might have been tempted to point his tale towards darkness, Nikou—to his credit—adopts a more tender approach.’—Xan Brooks, The Guardian