#TIFF19 Review: Entwined (Discovery)
By John Corrado
★★½ (out of 4)
A dark and brooding fairy tale set in the Balkan forests, Entwined follows a doctor named Panos (Prometheus Aleiferopoulos) who arrives in town to start a medical practise, much to the suspicion of the superstitious townsfolk. When he comes across a mysterious young woman, Danae (Anastasia-Rafaela Konidi), who lives in a cabin in the woods and has a rare condition that is turning her skin into tree bark, Panos falls in love with her, and tries to find a cure for her condition. But Danae expects a lot more than Panos might be able to give in return.
The debut feature of Greek director Minos Nikolakakis, Entwined is a pretty good adult fairy tale that shows promise for the filmmaker. While the beats of the plot are mostly predictable, and the film is somewhat slow moving, Nikolakakis is able to establish a nice sense of atmosphere, heightened by attractive cinematography of the lush, foreboding landscapes. Finally, Aleiferopoulos and Konidi carry the film with a pair of decent performances, and the makeup work is also quite good.
Sunday, September 8th – 6:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre
Tuesday, September 10th – 5:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre
Saturday, September 14th – 5:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre