52 Films by Women: 'Chevalier' by Athina Rachel Tsangari

Entry #1 in 52 Films by Women. See all related posts by clicking here.

Would that men put half as much effort towards social justice and humanitarian causes than they do their own macho posturing and dick-measuring contests one can imagine the things that could get done. Athina Rachel Tsangari's Chevalier is another mirthful, singular dissection of human behavior to add to the impressive slate of films to come from the Greek New Wave, including her richly unusual previous effort, Attenberg. Stepping away from the curiosities and disassociation of young womanhood that framed her last feature, Tsangari's third film displays the same deadpan-surrealist commitment as she delves into the vulgarities and competitiveness of the male id, and the result is equally clever and insightful in a way that's unique to itself. The ensemble of men work hard to sell the tone and individual interiority/exteriority of the characters, providing comedy and surprising honesty to their insecurities and vanity. If I have one little quibble it's that Tsangari begins to run low on genuine surprises by the time the first hour is up, with the bonds and relationships of the sextet feeling pretty boiled-down by that point when more layers should be revealing themselves. Still, the feel for weirdness and haughty interaction she arranges keeps the experience well-rounded and proves once again that the smartest and most innovative stories about men often come from women.