Kinetta (1995)

“A bitterly funny dissection of the fantasies men and women construct” — The Hollywood Reporter

Set in a desolate Greek resort town, three tenuously connected people bond over a bizarre hobby and very specific obsession. The unnamed trio, a plain-clothes cop with a passion for luxury cars and Russian women; a lonely clerk who works as a part-time photographer; and a hotel maid who aspires to be an actress through unconventional methods, join forces to enact and film lurid unsolved murder scenes. As they go deeper into the fantasy, the reenactments become more robust and physically more taxing, as the strange ritualistic scenes begin to bleed into their daily lives.

This darkly comic and hypnotic film comprises the extraordinary solo directorial debut from Lanthimos. Rarely screened in Australia, Kinetta bears many of Lanthimos’ creative hallmarks and flourishes that would continue to develop in his most celebrated works. The signature exacting, deadpan performance styles, ritualistic behaviour, and jet-black humour are all played out in this darkly comic film that would launch the celebrated “Greek Weird Wave”.