‘Pity’ Trailer: Sundance Dark Comedy Follows An Anti-Hero Who Is Only Happy When He’s Unhappy
While “Greek Weird Wave” might not be the exact right nomenclature for the collection of pitch black comedies that continue to spill forth from the very talented filmmakers of the Mediterranean country, it’s hard to shake one simple fact: some of this stuff really is weird. But delightfully so! The next great entry into the sub-genre is set for a Sundance debut, when director Babis Makridis (“L”) and co-writer Efthimis Filippou (“Dogtooth,” “The Lobster”) premiere their latest work of wacky self-loathing: “Pity.”
The story is simple, following a nameless everyman, played by comedian Yannis Drakopoulos, who revels in unhappiness, lives for being sad, and relishes being, well, pitied. His life is made all the better — worse? — when his wife falls into a coma, a terrible situation that comes complete with plenty of sadness and whole heaps of pity. It’s kind of ideal. But can it possibly last?
Per the film’s official Sundance synopsis, the film will see him “showered with pity—from his secretary, his dry cleaner, and a neighbor who brings homemade Bundt cakes—the man realizes how much better his life is. He’s grown accustomed to pity—addicted even. What a vexing dilemma he’d face were his wife ever to recover.”
Billed as a “pitch-dark comedy that would be deeply disturbing if it weren’t so funny,” the film boasts “heavily stylized humor and restrained aesthetic” that speaks to some of the very best bits of Greek Weird Wave (or whatever we want to call it these days). Check out our exclusive first trailer for “Pity” below.
“Pity” will have its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition later this month.
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