The Last Resort
23/9/2016, 20:00, Danaos 1
Co-directed by Thanos Anastopoulos, who crosses over into the documentary genre with remarkable ease, the documentary that charmed Cannes humorously and insightfully shows us the way to the strangest beach in the world. There, a wall separates the female bathers from the male ones, thus addressing identity and discrimination issues and awakening historical memories. This feels like the last border of innocence in a Europe that entrenches itself raising walls, mostly around its own conscience.
This Greek-Italian-French documentary, which charmed viewers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, focuses on a seemingly ordinary beach in Trieste, the hometown of Davide Del Degan, one of the two directors along with Greek Thanos Anastopoulos. The most distinctive feature of this particular beach is certainly its wall that separates male and female beach-goers.
Methodically chronicling the summer routines of the mostly ageing sunbathers, the film touches upon the problems of modern-day Europe, tackling matters of identity, discrimination, and division, and awakening grave historical memories. Against what seems like the last innocuous partition in a Europe full of fences, Anastopoulos and Del Degan’s detailed observational approach calls upon the viewer to listen for subjective truths in a Europe that’s changing quickly, but not necessarily to our taste. N. S.
Filmmakers in attendance
Directors: Thanos Anastopoulos, Davide Del Degan
Screenwriters: Thanos Anastopoulos, Nicoletta Romeo
DoP: Ιlias Adamis, Debora Vrizzi
Music: Jonatan Bengta
Editors: Βonita Papastathi, Matteo Serman
Italy, Greece, France | 2016 | Color | DCP | 118' | Italian
