Loneliness is probably the biggest social problem of the 21st Century. The internet was set to revolutionise our lives, giving us the ability to connect with people from all over the world. Whilst this is obviously the case, no one factored in what affect it would have on our real-life relationships. Many have withdrawn into themselves, spending any free time closeted in their rooms. Aloys runs with this concept, highlighting the difference between reality and imagination.
Aloys (Georg Friedrich) is a lonely private detective whose feels bereft when his father (Karl Friedrich), who he lives with, dies. Shunning the company of others, he spends his life spying and documenting the lives of others. This all changes when his tapes are spoken. He receives a call informing him their return is dependent on him trying an obscure Japanese invention called ‘telephone walking’ with the mysterious female caller (Tilde von Overbeck).
Talented Swiss director Tobias Nölle takes a tale which could be drab and boring and injects it with a mesmeric sense of life. It’s almost as if you’re in the room with Aloys. The performances of Georg Friedrich and Tilde von Overbeck really personify two lonely people desperate to find someone or something. Aloys is beautifully shot, the camerawork imbues it with a sense of magical realism whilst Nölle ensures that the story is securely grounded in Aloy’s reality.
Aloys is out in cinemas from Friday.
