Imagine a softer version of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster—or maybe an edgier Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—and you’ll have a sense of the vibe emitting from Fingernails. The English-language debut of director Christos Nikos, who worked as second assistant director on Lanthimos’ Dogtooth, Fingernails largely takes place at an institute that promises to scientifically assess relationships and determine the couple’s chances of long-term success. (If you don’t immediately suspect this is all a crock, the movie helpfully has Luke Wilson on hand as the institute’s genially dopey founder.) Newly employed at the institute is Anna (Jessie Buckley), a romantic who is afraid things have gotten stale with her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White)—never mind that the institute has declared them to be a 100% match. When she begins to develop feelings for a coworker (Riz Ahmed), she has even more reason to be suspicious of the science. One other detail I should probably mention: to test couples’ compatibility, institute employees pull out a fingernail from each partner and place them in some sort of sensory device, which spits out the results. Lanthimos aficionados will have already spotted the obvious influences: bodily harm, dark comedy (a poster at the institute promises “No more divorce.”), bizarre science. By the time we get multiple scenes of odd dancing—including Ahmed grooving all alone at an office party—you may be tempted to dismiss Fingernails as a knockoff. But it has an optimistic charm all its own, as well as strong performances throughout—especially from White and Buckley. He gives Ryan a gentle naivete, while she makes Anna a sweet and spirited true believer, willing to sacrifice more than a fingernail, if need be, for love.
(11/10/2023)
