In the first (of four!) episodes planned for Halloween
month, we're entering not the King-sized American genre worlds populated by slasher killers, raging alcoholics, and traumatized ghosts but a distinctly Greek one. This, as our guest, Panos Liakos (NYU graduate; freelance writer for
The New Herald), tells us, is the "Yorgos Cosmos" -- built on
exploring the tragi-comic absurdity of human existence. It's a style of horror/dark comedy that's distinctly Greek -- originating from the "Greek Weird Wave" movement, internationally recognized as a representation of
and response to the Greek Financial Crisis in 2010. But its -- and especially its most famous figure, Yorgos Lanthimos' growing international appeal -- also speaks to its universal appeal: for who hasn't felt the Kafkaesque dread of
getting crushed by a strictly ordered, almost automaton existence and then tried (and failed to) escape in comically absurd ways?
Dhruv and Panos discuss all this by first talking about the
“Greek Weird Wave,” then Yorgos Lanthimos’ eclectic filmography, and then his latest film, “Kinds of Kindness,” in spoiler-filled detail.
TIME CODES
Introduction: [00:00 – 08:48]
Greek Weird Wave 101 - [08:48 – 30:42]
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Cosmos: [30:42 – 49:00]
“Kinds of Kindness”: [49:00 - 01:17:26]
Outro: [01:17:26 - 01:21:24]
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You can (and should!) read Panos’ pieces on both Lanthimos
and “Poor Things” here:
1. Poor Things: A Traverse into the Cosmos of Yorgos
Lanthimos – https://filmbuff.org.in/2024/07/poor-things-a-traverse-into-the-cosmos-of-yorgos-lanthimos/.
2. Yorgos Lanthimos: A Journey from “Kinetta” to Los Angeles
– https://daysofart.gr/en/news/days-of-art/yorgos-lanthimos-a-journey-from-kinetta-to-los-angeles-by-panos-liakos/.
You can (and should!) follow Panos everywhere:
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/liakos_panos?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==.
ACADEMIA:
https://tisch-nyu.academia.edu/PanosLiakos.
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Follow our Instagram page: https://instagram.com/queenisdead.filmpodcast.
You can follow us on Instagram at:
Amartya: https://www.instagram.com/amartya25/.
Hemant: https://www.instagram.com/hemantganti.
Dhruv: https://www.instagram.com/terminalcinema/.
You can also follow us on Letterboxd at -
Dhruv: https://letterboxd.com/aterminalcinema/.
Hemant - https://letterboxd.com/ganti117/.
Amartya: https://letterboxd.com/amartya/.
CLIPS
1. The Lobster Movie CLIP - Choice (2016) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYpycAcxEBQ&ab_channel=RottenTomatoesComingSoon.
2. Kinetta Opening - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-fy4ujo2vs&ab_channel=iamtable.
3. Dogtooth Cat Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHhwzV5WV-Y&ab_channel=zoharbarkan.
4. “I Must Go Punch that Baby" | Poor Things (HDR) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jHDaheGc1E&ab_channel=HigherQualityUploads.
5. Kinds of Kindness Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGOL2_mI9Hw&t=4s&ab_channel=SearchlightPictures.
