Alps
Alps
6.375%51%
A nurse, a paramedic, a gymnast and her coach offer a service for hire wherein they stand in for dead people by appointment, hired by relatives, friends or colleagues of the deceased, to assist with the grieving process.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 2, 2025
Catching up on the Yorgos Lanthimos films I’ve missed. Alps is another film with a slightly skewed lens through which it views the world. A group of individuals provide a service for grieving families by acting as substitutes for the recently deceased. It’s captivating in that very specific Yorgos Lanthimos kind of way where you have to parse out what absurd human behavior he wants to bring to the forefront. While it seems, at first, like we’re exploring grief, there’s actually very little attention or characterization placed on the grieving. The unique acting troupe re-enact arguments, conflicts, conversations, etc, all with prescribed dialogue recited in the patented Lanthimos deadpan. Much of what the film seems to be highlighting is how much of our every day lives (and even our intimate relationships) are just performative actions - actors playing a role in our own lives. The fact that the grieving go along with these absurd re-enactments, emphasizes that point.
When the group isn’t substituting they all have regular jobs as well, which all have similarly performative aspects. One member has recurring conversation with a co-worker relating to who’s coffee mugs they use. One member is even a rhythmic gymnast that dances to music with a long flowing ribbon.
Is the totality of life a performance art? The group often talk about who they’re favorite performers are—who they’d like to substitute for. But when someone suggests Prince (still alive at the time of release), the others emphatically state you can’t substitute for a living person, only dead ones.
I don’t claim to understand everything Yorgos is getting at here. I do know that his films always leave me thinking about them for days afterwards, and Alps is no exception. There’s a truly brutal moment near the end of this film, that completely shocked me despite it being telegraphed much earlier in the film. Caught me totally off guard. If you like Lanthimos other work, particularly Dogtooth and The Lobster, I would definitely recommend this.