I read the writer and director’s statement (Daniel Bolda) about his film “Maldives” and had a chuckle as the film is, in my opinion, an open book capable of multiple interpretations. With all due respect and affection, I say Bolda is entitled to his interpretation as you and I are as well! Not that I would want to see a large volume of these open book genre films but an occasional one such as “Maldives” for lack of better words is “fun” and might be best parsed at one of the many waterfront bars in Thessaloniki with a cocktail in hand.
Stelios, an elementary school music teacher, inhabits a small rural village in Northern Greece dwelling in a small home in the forest directly facing a mountain. His best friend aside from Pantelis is his dog Maria whom he engages in conversation with regularly.
Stelios has a dream to escape the dreariness of the forest and mountain to the beaches and sun of the Maldives. His idea of paradise.
One day Maria vanishes and Stelios searches for her encountering strange tree like figures but never finding Maria until she shows up dead days later in his living room strangely covered in spots with the identical foliage the strange tree figures exhibited. Stelios buries Maria and shortly after he dies on his sofa and they both journey to the Maldives or better described as paradise.
You see Stelios went searching for Maria and he discovered the unknown which was a steady march to his death. The strange tree like figures were guideposts or premonitions for his last journey.
Ordinarily I don’t like spilling the beans on a film’s plot but it is symbolic and invitingly vague to such a degree I couldn’t resist.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 86/100.
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