– In Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis’ debut feature, the hero travels to an island to claim his inheritance, but instead learns something new about himself, his father and humanity itself
Anastasis Georgoulas in A Whole Person Almost
Islands and their islanders… They have so much in common with one another, and differ greatly from the rest of the world. It must have something to do with the sense of community in relative isolation. At least, this is a common conception that serves as the starting point of Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis‘ debut feature A Whole Person Almost, which has just premiered in Karlovy Vary‘s Proxima competition. However, the journey takes us in different directions.
Ilias (Anastasis Georgoulas), a young man burdened by debt, crosses the sea to claim his inheritance from his late, estranged father — who, as far as he knows, worked as the island’s doctor. He expects it to be a simple in-and-out job, but local customs and his father’s saint-like reputation among the islanders (the father’s name, Christos, is something of a giveaway) soon get in his way, forcing him to stay far longer than planned. Matters are complicated further by the fact that his father practised medicine without a proper licence, never charged his patients, and lived off the islanders’ charity like a kind of hermit — meaning Ilias has little to inherit beyond an old shipping container converted into a makeshift home and workspace.
The longer Ilias stays on the island, the more locals he encounters – among them his father’s former lover, Karina (Elena Topalidou, of Magnetic Fields fame), who runs a modest lodging house, and the young woman who works alongside her, Kalliopi (Flomaria Papadaki, seen in Animal). Gradually, his perception of both his father and himself begins to shift. He also starts noticing stranger goings-on: mysterious power outages and an epidemic of fainting fits – one he eventually succumbs to himself, to the point of losing his physical strength entirely. But with Kalliopi as his guide and ally, he is offered a chance at redemption, and perhaps even love.
Even after almost twenty years, the so-called Greek Weird Wave still appears to be going strong. Here, the setting of an unnamed island – one that lives by its own rules, at once rigid and ever-changing – serves that purpose perfectly, as the filmmaker and his co-writer, Elizampetta Ilia Georgiadou, explore not just the setting itself, but also the characters’ inner lives and psychology.
This is evident in cinematographer Christos Voudouris‘ shots, which gently morph from distant observation into more intimate portraits as the plot slowly unfolds. Editor Livia Neroutsopoulou establishes an unhurried tempo, yet much-needed tension is introduced through a piano-heavy score that kicks in whenever a pattern needs breaking or shifting. The cast, meanwhile, does its best – and largely succeeds – in rendering these characters as palpable human beings.
One might argue that a sense of weirdness comes to dominate the film as it progresses, overtaking the coherence of its plot and the protagonist’s inner journey, leaving viewers wondering what Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis’ endgame might be. But on an emotional and visceral level, A Whole Person Almost resonates more strongly than it does on a purely rational one.
A Whole Person Almost is a co-production between Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Cyprus and Romania by Horsefly Productions in co-production with Red Carpet, Wunderlust, Felony Film and Tangaj Production with the participation of ZDF/Arte, ERT, Faliro House Productions, Onasis Culture and Panta Rhei.
