A rare, unprecedented art experience was created on the island of Tinos, inspired by George Lanthimos and the inspired assignment of NEON and Lyriki. "Vlichi" travels the landscape and the soul of the island in the wildest and most tender way together in the whole world, with Emma Stone in constant deaths and resurrections.
"It's a gift to work with Lanthimos," said Emma Stone, a light source sitting in an orange armchair on the stage of the National Opera.
The Oscar-winning actress exceeded all her limits, threw every shield, every Hollywood specification and surrendered in an unprecedented way to George Lanthimos. For ten days in Tinos they shot "Vlihi", the short film that is shown only with live music and is commissioned by The Artist on the Composer project created by NEON and Lyriki.
Because the people are the ones who always give meaning and content, Elina Kountouris and George Koumentakis are the ones who inspired and implemented the program. Thus, after the shocking work of Nikos Navridis in 2019, where the spectators took the stage and empty costumes occupied the Stavros Niarchos Hall, now is the time for the leading cinematographer of our time, George Lanthimos, to become part of The Artist on the Composer .
The absence of the body in the case of Navridis, the reminder of what existed through the empty suits, has now given way to the absence of the words… Of speech. A black and white film without sound is Vlichi, an ode, a pilgrimage of George Lanthimos to the root of cinema, to his inner homeland, to the memory of the people, to his personal historiography and sphere of obsessions and stories.
Lanthimos is taking a risk, clearly
"The interesting thing was that by making this film I was able to return to an initial stage of cinema, to the cinema of non-color," said George Lanthimos in the press conference.
"An opportunity to make a film without words, to tell the story in this way, to start from the beginning and to see how it all connects with the other arts. George Koumentakis sent me music and we talked. So I started to have images in my mind and that led me to limit some possibilities. The whole process had no logic behind it, it was mostly instinctive. As my story unfolded, so did my choices of music. As always, you have in mind the scenario and how things will turn out, but in the end something different emerges from what you imagine ".
Every look of Emma Stone, every shot in the landscape of Tinos that shudders from the strong wind or the textured white wall of the house that you feel scratching your hand, provokes a constant, intense, almost delusional dialogue in the viewer's mind. The words were always there, and now they woke up and bet. Stuck, enchanted, in a state of shock, you watch dumbfounded. Lanthimos's way is here, with a tenderness and a primitiveness to lead him.
"A skilful narrator who shows us what it means to be passionate about stories" is George Lanthimos, as Elina Kountouri pointed out. "The film 'Vlichi' has a clear intention to take risks, and thus captures the timeless exploration of the human condition. Lanthimos finds meaning in the disintegration of the established, personal stories, memories, the cycle of survival, the resilience of society, nature. The atmosphere of the film is dark but intoxicating. It explores the ideas of loneliness and connection, of appetite and desire, of human interaction with animals ", continued Mrs. Kountouri.
We will not spoil, but in the approximately 35 minute film images, memories, the wildness of the islands in winter is constantly exploding.
"In the black and white images of the film, I saw the history of cinema through the unique cinematic personality of Lanthimos, in an incredibly modern way," says George Koumentakis. "It is impossible to take your eyes off the couple, the unique old women of the island, the kid, in this cycle of life and death that is illustrated in a raw and at the same time poetic way. As a person of music, what impressed me most of all is the way the film acquires a voice, through the musical works that accompany it live. This partnership of arts offers a new experiential experience for the public and a new path for us ".
Lanthimos is for Emma Stone "the gift"
And while in the press conference all the secrets of the film were revealed, ethereal, smiling, without a special mood to speak, Emma Stone looked Lanthimos in the eyes…
"George is a gift," he said at one point. "I could talk for hours about what I like when I work with George. First of all we are doing very well, we fit in as people. Artistically, it is a great happiness to have complete trust in a director. When George sits on camera, I do not worry about anything, no details. He is very careful, he is obsessed with detail (and I say this for good), he misses nothing. It makes you feel safe, while at the same time you break your limits. And I will tell you honestly: what would be the point of continuing this "stupid" job if I did not find provocative roles, such as those offered to me by George? ».
Emma Stone, George Lanthimos at the press conference for the premiere of the movie "Rain" / AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis
And somewhere there it was revealed that Emma Stone participated in the project without pay. After a persistent question about the budget of the film, Elina Kountouri stressed that the film is extremely low budget. Because the price of payment was not economical. Friendship had a currency! As the director of NEON pointed out, Emma Stone did it for free because of her friendship with Lanthimos, Lanthimos with the minimum possible budget due to her friendship with Koumentakis and Koumentakis's cooperation and friendship with Kountouris gave the beginning and the end of this chain. NEON's partnership with the National Opera, which has the Stavros Niarchos Foundation on its side, brought this final result.
The film will travel to museums and operas of the world
The film will travel, of course, it is worth it. "It would be a great pleasure for the project to go elsewhere, we have already discussed this with George Lanthimos. There are players who are already interested. "Now they will see it, because it could only premiere in Greece, and immediately after that we will start talking with museums, festivals and other opera venues of a similar level all over the world", revealed Elina Kountouri…
And George Koumentakis added: "The coronavirus did not allow us to make such moves to present the work abroad yet. There is great interest, it is the truth. It marks in a special, unique way the possibility to be presented elsewhere, as long as it has the necessary conditions to produce the result that is needed. The journey will be intense, important ".
We will return with a detailed presentation of the film, which has its world premiere on Friday night at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Lyric.
"The goal was to make a film beyond time and place. Let history be timeless "says George Lanthimos, who makes heroes of his film and elders of the island, like the dance of an ancient tragedy. "For example, the costumes are inspired by traditional costumes, but they are sewn with modern materials, they have a modern interpretation. The house is old, but the car is modern. I am fascinated by tradition in an era of globalization. I think it's nice to keep some things as we evolve - not in a didactic way of course. But the past has a charm. It can be a source of inspiration in our lives. "
"Vlichi" will be presented on May 6, 7 and 8, while we are waiting for the announcements for its course in the world, in museums and opera scenes.
"Artists, filmmakers, filmmakers, composers and musicians come together and create a common narrative. Seeing and listening to them, we become witnesses of the time that remains meteoric, of culture, of evolution ", notes Elina Kountouri.