Twist

Turn, twist. / A kind of stress of a solid body, caused by the action of two binary oppositional forces, which develop on parallel levels.

“John the Violent” (Ioannis O Viaios), by Tonia Marketaki             
Friday 2/11

Kinetta, by Giorgos Lanthimos                                                      
Saturday 3/11

What are the oppositional forces that stress the materials (the characters of the films) and test the limits of their endurance? The resulting twist is caused by internal and external forces. In the case of John, there is an obvious confrontation. Under the pretext of an unsolved crime case, society needs a scapegoat and, after an internal pressure, the character assumes the role of the victim. In “Kinetta” things are a bit different. Society is nowhere to be seen. The tourist resort is closed. The main characters repeat the same ritual of reconstruction of unsolved crime cases trying to perfect their roles: of victim and abuser. However, the roles become less and less defined. Through permanent reconstructions and repetitions, both films try to pin the real culprit who is absent. In both cases though, the real quest has nothing to do with the murders but with identity, with the desperate need to be contained within a role, they wished was theirs. Society accepts only those who present a fixed identity. The fluidity of the unsolved case gives hope to John and to the characters of Kinetta that they, too, can get a solid identity, even if it is a loan.