Karlovy Vary 2023 Review: EMBRYO LARVA BUTTERFLY Revives the Greek New Wave for Mainstream Audience

Cypriot filmmaker Kyros Papavassiliou first made his mark with his debut feature Impressions of a Drowned Man, which premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival several years ago. The film follows an amnesiac who finds himself as Kostas Karyotakis, a poet from the 1920s who returns to life after his death, in a slow-paced, surreal narrative with cyclical patterns reminiscent of Michel Butor's novel, Passing Time.

The film's minimalistic and desolate visual aesthetic echo the metaphysical art movement, pittura metafisica. Papavassiliou made a triumphant return to the Czech festival with his second feature, Embryo Larva Butterfly, premiered in the Proxima competition.

In Embryo Larva Butterfly, as the title suggests a cyclical transformation, Papavassiliou has evidently undergone his own metamorphosis. Despite the stark contrast in story and form between Impressions of a Drowned Man and his latest feature, both films reveal the director's fascination with cyclical patterns.

Embryo Larva Butterfly is a thought-provoking sci-fi drama exploring love, memory, and fate in a world where time is non-linear, with past, present, and future arbitrarily shifting day by day. Individuals must decipher the point in their life at which they've awoken each day.

While the premise has a hint of Kaufmanesque intrigue, the film has a more straightforward approach, centering on the lives of a couple, Penelope (played by Maria Apostolakea) and Isidoros (portrayed by Hristos Sougaris).

In the fragmented narrative of Embryo Larva Butterfly, the nature of Penelope and Isidoros' relationship changes daily. They might be lovers one day, strangers the next, then struggling for custody of their child, and finally attending each other's funerals. Their routine existence is punctuated by significant events - some foreseeable and inevitable, others completely unexpected. This paradox creates a life that is both predictably cyclic and full of surprising twists.

Embryo Larva Butterfly's core is a relationship drama, evocative of films like Kramer vs Kramer and Marriage Story. However, Papavassiliou adds a unique twist, exploring a speculative fiction premise of non-linear time, turning the narrative into a philosophical exploration of mortality and existence.

Additionally, Papavassiliou, who also wrote the script, incorporates a potent theme of motherhood into the central conflict, producing a dilemma that exists across all timeframes - past, present, and future. This multifaceted dilemma continuously drives the narrative forward.

While the initial concept of Embryo Larva Butterfly might seem dense, it is a plot-driven story with a surprisingly brisk tempo. Unlike Papavassiliou's debut, which lingered in time and space, his second feature utilizes time-shifting to maintain a steady pace, leaving little room for overt philosophical musings, which only become apparent once the credits roll.

The film proudly wears its New Greek Wave influence on its sleeve. Within the first few minutes, it's clear that Papavassiliou has crafted a marriage drama teetering between solemnity and irony, akin to other works in the genre.

At this point, the term New Greek Wave serves more as a genre identifier than a movement descriptor. The most recent addition to this genre, prior to Embryo Larva Butterfly, was Christos Nikou's Apples. Paradoxically, it was also a low-fi sci-fi drama contemplating life's existential questions, while maintaining a whimsical tone – an approach that Papavassiliou successfully echoes in his own film.

Embryo Larva Butterfly serves as a measure of how the initial fervor of the New Greek Wave has evolved and the reach of its influence. Apples, with its signature aesthetic, echoes Yorgos Lanthimos' formative films—a connection openly acknowledged by Nikou.

Conversely, Papavassiliou's second film departs from the standard use of symmetrical, static shots, a muted color palette, wide-angle perspectives, and the emotionless dialogue delivery that Lanthimos popularized, while also diverging from the macabre tone typically associated with this style.

Although Embryo Larva Butterfly contains its share of ironic moments, it isn't a biting social satire imbued with a Greek tragedy sting, despite the elements of discomfort and estrangement that play roles within Papavassiliou's narrative.

Rather, the vibrant palette, striking lighting, and moments of absurd humor—such as the inclusion of a tree interpreter—lift the film from the confines of the New Greek Wave genre. Intriguingly, these elements also push the film from the fringes of arthouse toward the mainstream, hinting at the evolution of a New Greek Wave 2.0.

Embryo Larva Butterfly is neither aesthetically nor narratively alienating. Papavassiliou has crafted a story that is intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, focusing on the impact of technology on society and the human experience.

The philosophy of adapting to time-jumps throughout a lifetime serves as a backdrop for a relationship drama that grapples with a variety of issues not typically encountered in the linear cycle of relationships. Importantly, it offers a highly relatable human experience that can engage any viewer, especially those without a fondness for absurdity.

The significant shift from the original New Greek Wave aesthetics, beyond embracing science fiction and incorporating more genre elements than Nikou's Apples, lies in its heart: a humanistic tale. In Papavassiliou's version, the Greek New Wave has veered from Yorgos Lanthimos towards Ted Chiang.