Suntan (2016) - Argyris Papadimitropoulos

Argyris Papadimitropoulos' Suntan is a powerful and daring examination of how much of an effect emotional distress can have on the psyche of an individual,  providing one of the most troublesome studies of loneliness and pain I've seen in quite awhile.  The story is centered around Kostis, a middle-aged doctor, who has just been appointed to a tiny island off the Greece coast.   A quiet man, Kostis is introduced as a character who is kind, but stays mostly too himself, a man who appears to have grown accustomed to his own solitude, with an island in the middle of winter offering the perfect setting for this character.   Kostis interacts with the locals, and seems to be well liked during the winter, but the filmmakers make sure to capture how nearly every single one of his interactions is 1 on 1, similar to how a doctor is very singular with his patient.  Even the first scene of the film, with Kostis' boat arriving at the island, is shot using wide compositions with lots of open spaces, visually evoking the sense of solitude in this character,  a man who seems to have accepted that his life, which is more so than not defined by companionship, has passed him by.  When summer arrives, the Island couldn't be more different than the winter, becoming a thriving vacation spot, with nude beaches and crazy parties where the young invade the town.  This of course doesn't exactly mesh with Kostis' typical lifestyle, though he doesn't appear particularly opposed to it.  One day a group of young, beautiful tourists arrive at his doctor's office after a minor accident, asking for Kostis help with Anna, who has suffered an injury in a minor bike accident.  Even in this scene the filmmakers perfectly capture Kostis' passive personality around others, with the character sorta having their way with him in the doctor's office, their playful demeanor throwing the quiet man off, as he is unable to be authoritative even in his own personal environment .  There is really no question that the beauty of the flirty Anna entices Kostis, as does the flirtation of rediscovering his youth, leading Kostis to go out of his way to try and impress the young woman.  What makes Suntan work so well is that the relationship that unfolds between Kostis and this group of young people, particularly Anna, does feel endearing at first, with both Anna, her friends, and Kostis seemingly enjoying each other's company.  The film merely hints at Kostis beginning to neglect his responsibilities as the town doctor, as he begins to spend more and more of his free time drinking with this group of young tourists, whether it be at a beach, various nightclubs, or house parties.  While the characters seem to generally enjoy each others company for the most part, it's clear that Kostis begins to misinterpret the free-spirited, sexual Anna, viewing their relationship as more intimate and sincere than she does.   The viewer did see this misinterpretation somewhat coming, as Suntan feels like a slow motion car crash wit the fragile man, whose budding obsession begins to become worrisome. Things begin to escalate when Anna and her friends leave the island for a few days, not informing Kostis of their exit.  Kostis spirals out of control, alone nighty, drifting in a sea of despair and debauchery.    Suntan hints that Kostis was a man who has  past relationship based trauma and tragedy, maybe even being married at one point, but the film intentionally remains vague about his past troubles, only making it clear early on that his budding obsession and prior solitude is fueled in someway by loneliness.   When Anna returns his obsession becomes downright scary not only for Anna and her friends but also  the viewer, due to the filmmakers creating a character we've grown to have empathy for, recognizing that he simply was seduced by the possibility of youth and love.  Kostis actions late in the film take a very dark turn and i'm sure some viewers will find it too much to remain empathetic, but for me, the final scene of the film perfectly captures this character.- a deeply broken man who has been ravaged by solitude and isolation.  What he has done was  a temporary moment of insanity, as Kostis now must come  to terms with the realization of what he has done due his fragile psyche.

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