''Arcadia'' is a 2024

fantasy drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

film directed by

Yorgos Zois Giorgos, Yiorgos or Yorgos () is a common abbreviation of the given name Georgios. Notable people with the name include: Persons Giorgos * Giorgos Aftias, Greek journalist and politician * Giorgos Agorogiannis, Greek footballer * Giorgos Alkaio ...

. Starring

Angeliki Papoulia Angeliki Papoulia (; born 1975) is a Greek actress and theatre director. In film, she is most notable for her roles in ''Dogtooth'', ''Alps'' and ''The Lobster'' by Yorgos Lanthimos, and '' A Blast'' and ''The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea'' by ...

and

Vangelis Mourikis Vangelis Mourikis () is a Greek film actor, who has appeared in more than thirty films since 1982. He studied in Australia where he did his first work. In the 1990s he returned to Greece and devoted himself to independent cinema. He has won seven ...

, it tells the story of neurologist Katerina and Yannis, a former doctor, as they head off to a deserted seaside resort. Yannis has been called to identify the victim of a tragic accident at the hospital of the small town. The film, a co-production between Greece, Bulgaria and United States production companies, was selected in the Encounters at the

74th Berlin International Film Festival The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This ye ...

, where it had its world premiere on 18 February 2024.

Synopsis

Katerina, a neurologist, and Yannis, an ex-doctor with a good reputation, are on their way to an isolated coastal resort. The car is quiet as they drive through the sandy hills in a windy autumn day, reflecting the gloomy reason for their trip: Yannis had to go and recognize the body of a fatal accident victim at the small town's hospital. The local police officer tells them that the victim's car had fallen off the edge of a stone bridge and takes them to the mortuary, where Katerina's fears are proven right. Along with Yannis, and also on her own nocturnal visits to a mysterious, old-fashioned beach bar named Arcadia, they start to unravel the mystery, uncovering a haunting tale of love, loss, acceptance, and letting go.

Cast

as Yannis *

as Katerina * Elena Topalidou as Vicky * Nikolas Papagiannis as Petros * Vangelis Evangelinos as Policeman * Asterios Rimagmos as Nikos * Evangelia Andreadaki as Despina * Flomaria Papadaki as Danai * Elena Mavridou as Klea * Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos as Ectoras

Production

The film directed by Yorgos Zois and co-written with Konstantina Kotzamani is bankrolled by Bulgarian National Film Center, EKOME - National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication, Greek Film Centre, and

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in . Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages co-op ...

. The film is produced by Foss Productions and Homemade Films. The producers said, "When Yorgos Zois riter and directortold us that he wanted to make a love story where love and loss would coexist between real and imaginary worlds, we immediately realized that this film was a natural sequel to his work and wanted to support it."

Release

''Arcadia'' had its world premiere on 18 February 2024, as part of the

, in Encounters. In January, Beta Cinema acquired the sales rights of the film prior to its world premiere at Berlinale. The film will be first screened at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 5 April 2024 in Firebird Awards Young Cinema competition.

Reception

Georgi Petkov writing in Loud And Clear Reviews rated the film with three and half stars and said, "Intricate human connection hides in the little things. The fantasy drama manages to pull something substantial and valuable out of a fantasy trope that is gently transformed here into a paint brush, coloring a clean, restrained picture of grief." Nicholas Bell in Ion Cinema rated the film with three and half stars and said, "Even as ''Arcadia'' takes some sharp turns into the bizarre, it’s a rather cathartic take on a familiar scenario about acceptance." Mariana Hristova reviewing the film at Berlinale for

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

wrote, "Yorgos Zois’s second feature sets out as a mysterious erotic thriller with psychological elements, but gradually melts into a predictable relationship (melo)drama."

Accolades

The film was selected for nomination to

37th European Film Awards The 37th European Film Awards, presented by the European Film Academy to recognize achievements in European filmmaking, took place at Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern in Lucerne on 7 December 2024. It marked the first time the awards ceremony ...

to be held at Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern in

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

on 7 December 2024.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, tt31015391
''Arcadia''
at Beta Cinema

at Berlinale 2024 films 2024 drama films 2024 fantasy films 2020s Greek-language films 2020s Greek films Bulgarian fantasy drama films 2020s American films Greek drama films