Radiant Neurologist Katerina and Yannis, a former well-respected doctor, are heading off to a deserted seaside resort. Silence spreads in the car as they travel across sandy dunes in a windy autumn, matching the less-than-pleasant occasion: Yannis had been called to identify the victim of a tragic accident at the hospital of the small town. When the local policeman informs them that the victim’s vehicle had plunged over the parapet of a stone bridge and leads them to the morgue, Katerina sees her worst suspicions confirmed. Together with Yannis, but also on her own nightly excursions to a mysterious, rustic beach bar called Arcadia, they begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together, revealing a haunting story of love, loss, acceptance, and letting go.
Cast:
Vangelis Mourikis, Angeliki Papoulia, Elena Topalidou, Nikolas Papagiannis, Vangelis Evangelinos, Asteris Rimagmos, Vangelio Andreadaki, Flomaria Papadaki, Elena Mavridou, Antonis Tsiotsiopoulos, Yorgos Biniaris, Maria Diakopanagiotou, Daphné Patakia, Nikos Georgakis, Alexandros Voulgaris, Petra Kalampoka
World Premiere
74th Berlin International Film Festival – Encounters Competition
Festivals / Awards
Sofia International Film Festival 2024 (Special Screening – Out of Competition), Hong-Kong International Film Festival 2024 (Young Cinema Competition, Asian premiere – Winner: Best Actor Award for Vangelis Mourikis), Transilvania IFF 2024, Neuchâtel IFFF 2024, New Horizons IFF 2024 (International Competition), Sarajevo IFF 2024 (International Competition, Winner: Heart of Sarajevo for Best Director), La Roche-sur-Yon IFF (Compétition Nouvelles Vagues), Taifas 2024 – Timisoara, Thessaloniki IFF 2024 (International Competition, Winner: F.I.PRES.CI Award, J.F. Costopoulou Foundation Award), Cork IFF 2024 (International Competition, Winner: Best Screenplay), Palm Springs IFF (International Competition – North American Premiere), etc.
Feature Film Selection 2024 – European Film Awards
International Press
“Atmospheric. Eerie. Exquisitely wistful. Zois strikes a delicate balance between the banal facts of grief and the inventive framework of a parallel supernatural story. An intriguing metaphysical fancy.”
-Wendy Ide, Screen
“A film about love, loss, the acrobatics between here and there. Like a gentle, healing breeze from another world, that comes to embrace the soul.”
-Deutsche Welle
“Vangelis Mourikis and Angeliki Papoulia become the soul of this melancholic ode to love. A unique story of love that goes beyond conventions. Instead of being a mundane procedural thriller, it becomes an emotionally mature investigation of truth.”
-Akash Despande, High on Films
“Almost a prime example of the Greek New Wave. Feels like a waking dream in limbo, like sleepwalking through the afterlife.”
-TAZ
“Angeliki Papoulia is once again marvellous.”
-Gregory Coutaut, Le Polyester
“Zois’ distinctive directorial signature is apparent for challenging and overturning genre conventions, bridging the real and the imagined. Angeliki Papoulia, the dame of indie and experimental arthouse, adds a unique depth to her portrayal of Katerina, a character navigating unfamiliar emotional and supernatural realms.”
-Martin Kudlac, Screen Anarchy
Arcadia, feature film, dcp, Greece-Bulgaria-USA, 2024
