The Crossing Europe Tribute honors outstanding individuals of contemporary European film and presents the opportunity to discover their cinematic work.
Essay
Breaking with Conventions and Norms
Bianca Jasmina Rauch
This year marks the first time that Crossing Europe devotes its Tribute to an actor. With her impressive and multifaceted characterizations that refuse any kind of unambiguity, Angeliki Papoulia brings to life the works of renowned Greek filmmakers. Breaking with norms and conventions in art as well as in life is key to her, Papoulia says in conversation with the author. That includes the challenging of social structures, gender conceptions, and role models as well as remaining open to new things in every movie role. Her work as an actor is characterized by open-mindedness, honesty, curiosity, and a permanent quest – an approach that makes her look at the world go against predominant expectations.
The native Athenian graduated from the Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and from Empros Theatre Drama School. She was a co-founder of blitz theatre group, which existed from 2004 to 2017. In addition, she has held (joint) responsibility in the areas of directing, dramaturgy, and acting in numerous productions, and has toured with her works throughout Europe. Together with several other protagonists of the Athens theater scene that flourished at the beginning of the 2000s, Papoulia also helped shape a new emerging film scene that international critics would soon dub the “Greek Weird Wave” (with its prominent representatives Yorgos Lanthimos and Syllas Tzoumerkas). Some of the artistic approaches were marked by independently produced projects and creative practices that occasionally incorporated lengthier rehearsal processes and room for improvisation. “Together we found a way to tell our stories, to express ourselves. Our perseverance enabled us to create international visibility for Greek cinema, and I’m glad that I could contribute my share. However, within this awakening that has happened over the past fifteen years, every film creates its own individual creative universe.” And within these, Papoulia manages to make her roles become complex characters that never turn into cloned versions of long-before-seen character types, but, through fine nuances, defy from being clearly assignable. When the actor states that she tries to remain flexible in each of her roles, that approach is immediately apparent. Whether it is the improvised scenes as the older sister in DOGTOOTH or the open-mindedness of traveling Ida in HUMAN FLOWERS OF FLESH – creating predictability or gaining control is neither the aim of her role work nor can it be ascribed to her characters.
In DOGTOOTH, for instance, she makes her rebellious traits emerge from behind a precise countenance. The acting that otherwise appears alienated develops its full effect in connection with scenes that have her breaking out of her facade in fierce movements. Her character becomes ambiguous, and cracks open. There is one point when, while dancing – a deviated imitation of a scene from FLASHDANCE – she falls in an ecstasy that seems to cry for an escape from her controlled physical state. The use of motion and standstill, of talking and silence always lends a special power to Papoulia’s acting. In A BLAST her vigorous hug to greet her partner who has been at sea for months makes the younger version of her role as Maria appear in clear contrast to the more life-experienced person long disenchanted by the bitter reality of her relationship. Something common to many of her characters is also shown therein: They break out, reveal themselves as resistant women and, starting from the point that becomes dramaturgically essential, make no further doubt arise about their resolve. “Fearless” is an adjective that is frequently found in descriptions of Papoulia’s acting. Closely linked to that is a certain sensitivity, whether as an (substitute) daughter in a hierarchical family structure (DOGTOOTH, ALPS, A BLAST), a quick-witted Athenian policewoman and mother of a teenager or as a woman in love bursting into warm laughter in the dreamful atmosphere of SILENCE 6-9.
Like with most of her cinematic works, she prepared for her role in SILENCE 6-9 for several weeks before shooting together with the director, who in this case was also her main acting partner, Christos Passalis, for several weeks before shooting. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was initially possible only through phone calls and walks – a form of work on a character that, as it turned out, was a perfect fit for the film’s particular focus on sounds and voices. Still, playing a character who is in two states of consciousness, in two worlds at the same time, and balancing its emotional range of joy, love, and closeness to death posed a special challenge to her. But also the character of policewoman Elisabeth in THE MIRACLE OF THE SARGASSO SEA also involved great complexity. It was only when she kept the character’s “self-destructive” core in mind and through the collaborative work with her colleagues that she could breathe life into this role. The fact that acting also means being there for each other as a team is frequently stressed by Papoulia – to her, one defining experience in this respect was her colleagues’ support on the set of THE LOBSTER.
Honesty in her role, a close collaboration with the entire crew, and the breaking of norms is also what characterized the work on Helena Wittmann’s HUMAN FLOWERS OF FLESH. We get to know Ida, an independent woman traveling across the sea with a crew of five, not through analyzable information but purely through her body language. As Ida, Papoulia exudes both curiosity and uncertainty in a positive way – a rare combination, because “we always want to be safe and stable”. The character, just like Papoulia herself, invites us to allow the unforeseeable and fluid and, once again, evades stereotyped models. It is only in recent decades that we have seen more and more complex female characters like Ida, says Papoulia, and she also considers it her mission as an actress to scrutinize and rethink gender normative models. Which, and this much is certain, the artist has long achieved with her work.
The native Athenian graduated from the Department of Theatre Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and from Empros Theatre Drama School. She was a co-founder of blitz theatre group, which existed from 2004 to 2017. In addition, she has held (joint) responsibility in the areas of directing, dramaturgy, and acting in numerous productions, and has toured with her works throughout Europe. Together with several other protagonists of the Athens theater scene that flourished at the beginning of the 2000s, Papoulia also helped shape a new emerging film scene that international critics would soon dub the “Greek Weird Wave” (with its prominent representatives Yorgos Lanthimos and Syllas Tzoumerkas). Some of the artistic approaches were marked by independently produced projects and creative practices that occasionally incorporated lengthier rehearsal processes and room for improvisation. “Together we found a way to tell our stories, to express ourselves. Our perseverance enabled us to create international visibility for Greek cinema, and I’m glad that I could contribute my share. However, within this awakening that has happened over the past fifteen years, every film creates its own individual creative universe.” And within these, Papoulia manages to make her roles become complex characters that never turn into cloned versions of long-before-seen character types, but, through fine nuances, defy from being clearly assignable. When the actor states that she tries to remain flexible in each of her roles, that approach is immediately apparent. Whether it is the improvised scenes as the older sister in DOGTOOTH or the open-mindedness of traveling Ida in HUMAN FLOWERS OF FLESH – creating predictability or gaining control is neither the aim of her role work nor can it be ascribed to her characters.
In DOGTOOTH, for instance, she makes her rebellious traits emerge from behind a precise countenance. The acting that otherwise appears alienated develops its full effect in connection with scenes that have her breaking out of her facade in fierce movements. Her character becomes ambiguous, and cracks open. There is one point when, while dancing – a deviated imitation of a scene from FLASHDANCE – she falls in an ecstasy that seems to cry for an escape from her controlled physical state. The use of motion and standstill, of talking and silence always lends a special power to Papoulia’s acting. In A BLAST her vigorous hug to greet her partner who has been at sea for months makes the younger version of her role as Maria appear in clear contrast to the more life-experienced person long disenchanted by the bitter reality of her relationship. Something common to many of her characters is also shown therein: They break out, reveal themselves as resistant women and, starting from the point that becomes dramaturgically essential, make no further doubt arise about their resolve. “Fearless” is an adjective that is frequently found in descriptions of Papoulia’s acting. Closely linked to that is a certain sensitivity, whether as an (substitute) daughter in a hierarchical family structure (DOGTOOTH, ALPS, A BLAST), a quick-witted Athenian policewoman and mother of a teenager or as a woman in love bursting into warm laughter in the dreamful atmosphere of SILENCE 6-9.
Like with most of her cinematic works, she prepared for her role in SILENCE 6-9 for several weeks before shooting together with the director, who in this case was also her main acting partner, Christos Passalis, for several weeks before shooting. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this was initially possible only through phone calls and walks – a form of work on a character that, as it turned out, was a perfect fit for the film’s particular focus on sounds and voices. Still, playing a character who is in two states of consciousness, in two worlds at the same time, and balancing its emotional range of joy, love, and closeness to death posed a special challenge to her. But also the character of policewoman Elisabeth in THE MIRACLE OF THE SARGASSO SEA also involved great complexity. It was only when she kept the character’s “self-destructive” core in mind and through the collaborative work with her colleagues that she could breathe life into this role. The fact that acting also means being there for each other as a team is frequently stressed by Papoulia – to her, one defining experience in this respect was her colleagues’ support on the set of THE LOBSTER.
Honesty in her role, a close collaboration with the entire crew, and the breaking of norms is also what characterized the work on Helena Wittmann’s HUMAN FLOWERS OF FLESH. We get to know Ida, an independent woman traveling across the sea with a crew of five, not through analyzable information but purely through her body language. As Ida, Papoulia exudes both curiosity and uncertainty in a positive way – a rare combination, because “we always want to be safe and stable”. The character, just like Papoulia herself, invites us to allow the unforeseeable and fluid and, once again, evades stereotyped models. It is only in recent decades that we have seen more and more complex female characters like Ida, says Papoulia, and she also considers it her mission as an actress to scrutinize and rethink gender normative models. Which, and this much is certain, the artist has long achieved with her work.
Films:
Photo: Angeliki Papoulia
Tribute Talk
Angeliki Papoulia (GR)
in cooperation with the Kunstuniversität Linz
– Zeitbasierte und Interaktive Medienkunst
Moderation: Neil Young
in English language
Friday, 28.4.2023, 4 pm, OK Deck
Online-Stream
Filmography
Films at Crossing Europe 2023:
Kynodontas / Dogtooth (GR 2009, R: Yorgos Lanthimos)
Alpis /Alps (GR 2011, R: Yorgos Lanthimos)
A Blast (GR/DE/NL 2014, R: Syllas Tzoumerkas)
To thávma tis thálassas ton Sargassón / The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea (GR/DE/NL/SE 2019, R: Syllas Tzoumerkas)
Human Flowers of Flesh (DE/FR 2022, R: Helena Wittmann)
Ishia 6-9 / Silence 6-9 (GR 2022, R: Christos Passalis)
Alpis /Alps (GR 2011, R: Yorgos Lanthimos)
A Blast (GR/DE/NL 2014, R: Syllas Tzoumerkas)
To thávma tis thálassas ton Sargassón / The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea (GR/DE/NL/SE 2019, R: Syllas Tzoumerkas)
Human Flowers of Flesh (DE/FR 2022, R: Helena Wittmann)
Ishia 6-9 / Silence 6-9 (GR 2022, R: Christos Passalis)
Other films not shown at Crossing Europe 2023:
Spirtokouto / Matchbox (GR 2002, D: Yannis Economidis)The Lobster (IE/GB/GR/FR/NL/US 2016, D: Yorgos Lanthimos)
Prasini thalassa / Green Sea (GR/DE 2020, D: Angeliki Antoniou)
Cryptozoo (US 2021, D: Dash Shaw)
Patchwork (CY/IL/SI 2021, D: Petros Charalambous)
I Póli ke i Póli / The City and the City (GR 2022; CE’22, D: Christos Passalis, Syllas Tzoumerkas)
A Little Love Package (AT/AR 2022, D: Gastón Solnicki)
Cavewoman (CO/US/GR 2022, D: Spiros Stathoulopoulos)
