Alps
A hospital night nurse joins a secret service that impersonates the dead, exposing grief as an unsettling theater of borrowed identities.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- absurdist
- eerie
- arthouse film night
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as provocative, formally controlled, and intriguingly opaque, though its emotional payoff and thematic clarity divided viewers.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Alps group reenacts deceased relatives during paid visits, turning grief into a controlled performance.
The group’s bizarre professional rules and role playing coexist with bereavement, emotional isolation, and abrupt violence.
The film refuses to explain the Alps fully, presenting their secret services and rigid interactions as enigmatic procedures.
The Nurse and her associates inhabit the gestures and relationships of dead people for grieving families.
Films like Alps, and why
Dogtooth
shared absurdist drama, opaque social rituals, emotional estrangement, and controlled discomfort
Vertigo
shared surrogate identities, unsettling role playing, neo-noir mystery elements, and ambiguity
The Lobster
shared bleak absurdism, alienated characters, deadpan tension, and sudden violence
The Double Life of Véronique
shared grief, identity performance, formal restraint, and emotionally withholding atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Yorgos Lanthimos
- Release Date
- 2011-10-27
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (362)
Cast
- Angeliki Papoulia
- Aris Servetalis
- Johnny Vekris
- Ariane Labed
- Stavros Psyllakis
- Efthimis Filippou
- Eftyhia Stefanidou
- Maria Kyrozi
- Sotiris Papastamatiou
- Tina Papanikolaou
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Alps about?
- A hospital night nurse joins a secret service that impersonates the dead, exposing grief as an unsettling theater of borrowed identities.
- What is Alps like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Alps as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Alps violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Alps as moderate.
- What did critics think of Alps?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as provocative, formally controlled, and intriguingly opaque, though its emotional payoff and thematic clarity divided viewers.
- Which films are like Alps?
- Films with a similar feel include Dogtooth, Vertigo, The Lobster, and The Double Life of Véronique.
- How long is Alps?
- Alps runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch Alps?
- In United States, Alps streams on Kino Film Collection.
