Apples Review: An Unforgettable Tale

For a film about memory loss, Apples sure is unforgettable.

The directorial debut of Christos Nikou (who also co-wrote the film with Stavros Raptis), Apples stars Ari Servetalis as a man who falls asleep on a city bus one day and inexplicably loses all memory of who he is when he wakes up at the end of the line. While typically cause for great concern, in the world of Apples this is a common occurrence.

An epidemic is causing amnesia in countless individuals — whether it’s local to Athens, contained to Greece, or a worldwide pandemic is unknown. What we do know, though, is it’s been going on long enough for hospitals to have a protocol ready to go. When no one comes looking for this man, the hospital he was checked into enters him into the New Identity program. The aim of the program isn’t to help patients retrieve old memories, but rather to help them build a new foundation and, hopefully, a fresh start.

Our man is housed in an apartment and given cash for his expenses. Every morning he listens to a cassette delivered to him by his doctors with instructions of a task he needs to complete. As he finishes each undertaking — like ride a bike, drive a car, go to a strip club — he documents his treatment through Polaroids that he keeps in a scrapbook, which is periodically reviewed by the doctors.

However, odd as it sounds on paper, Nikou builds a world so realistic that there’s an unsettling quality to Apples. This is aided in great part by Servetalis, who plays his part so deadpan and so straight, you forget that the circumstances of his character are truly extraordinary. And as quiet and subtle as this film is, it’s never boring thanks to the actor’s captivating performance and Nikou’s gentle direction.

Apples examines what power our memories hold — not just in the practical sense, but philosophically as well. In the film, the man with no name is at the cinema watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when he comes across a woman (Sofia Georgovassili). She has also been affected by this epidemic and is a fellow patient of the New Identity program. The two assist one another in completing their tasks and develop a friendship that leads to a temporary attraction. Their bond is short lived, how can it not be? Both of them are grown adults without memories to ground them or establish who they are.

Thematically, there’s a lot to digest in this film. The ideas of pre-determination, physical existence vs. spiritual, grief, and human connection were all rattling inside my brain for days after watching Apples. Nikou also manages to include an element of mystery and ambiguity. Is our protagonist faking it? Has his amnesia washed away? There’s no true answer in the film, which is part of its brilliance.

Apples won’t be to everyone’s taste, but if it hits you right, it’ll stay in your bones for days afterward.

Apples is in theatres now.

 



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