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★★★★
Directed by: #TheofanisTopsachalidis
Written by: Theofanis Topsachalidis
Starring: #KostasTheodosiadis, #KostasFilios, #VasilikiGkargkala, #VefiMina
A fantastical and dramatic exploration of one man’s inner demons in Theofanis Topsachalidis’s Greek short film Zero: No Beginning, No End. Told through fluid camerawork and contemplative sequences of introspection, it is an artistic movie with solid emotional grounding.
Kostas Theodosiadis plays Kostas (a familiar name apparently) a deli worker, whose inane day-to-day gets altered by a desire to explore his innermost frailties. He attends a workshop aimed to get him to come to terms with why he feels so low, only for this to make matters worse. This leads to the arrival of Kostas Filios (as different Kostas) as a mystery man who has some unique methods that may allow Kostas (the character) to find peace and return to zero.
Stylish and slickly put together, Zero: No Beginning, No End has a high production value which lends brilliantly to the arthouse nature of the piece. Many of the sequences are compellingly filmed, such as the brilliant wandering camera in the opening supermarket scene or the section by the water where Kostas immerses himself in his boxer shorts (baffling when taken out of context, baffling when seen within the film, yet still intriguing).
The dark and suspenseful atmosphere that Topsachalidis creates in his short film is palpable and loaded with hidden meaning. There are themes of repression, guilt, and redemption being toyed with and the execution of these has an appealing chaos that is arresting during the most effective scenes. Some viewers may find the lack of structure or traditional narrative hard to penetrate and enjoy but for audiences with a penchant for the bizarre (basically if you like the movies of David Lynch) you should be in your element.
The filmmaking needs to be praised for its strong aesthetics and sublime #cinematography. Many of the locations used are breathtaking and the use of characters within them is intelligently handled. A lot of the lighting was also keen in supporting the aforementioned atmosphere of the piece, especially the use of reds for the mystery man.
Keenly weird and wonderful, Zero: No Beginning, No End is the kind of divisive world cinema that, for better or worse, gets audiences talking. It is undeniable, however, that the talent of the cast and crew make this an unforgettable journey for the right reasons.
Watch the official movie trailer below.
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