Director-writer Christos Nikou, known for his acclaimed debut Apples, returns for his sophomore effort with Fingernails, a science-fiction romance starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White and Luke Wilson.
In Fingernails, Anna (Buckley) and Ryan (White) have found true love. It’s been proven by a controversial new technology to determine ultimate compatibility in romantic relationships. There’s just one problem: Anna still isn’t sure. When she then takes a position at a love testing institute, she further questions her connection with her supposed soulmate as she gets to know her co-worker Amir (Ahmed) and begins to develop a powerful connection with him. “I founded this institute to take the risk out of love,” explains Duncan (Wilson), company founder and Anna’s employer, at one point. “No more uncertainty, no more wondering if you’ve chosen the right partner, no more divorce.”
Ahead of its general release and while showing at London Film Festival, STARBURST sat down with Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou to discuss his latest work, his musings on love in the modern age, and finding chemistry between his lead actors.
Having authored the screenplay as well as directed the film, can you tell us about where you found inspiration and what sparked the key concepts for Fingernails?
Christos Nikou: I started writing it when I was trying to understand, what is love, and why is love so difficult? And especially, why is love so difficult nowadays? Why can I not fall in love like in the past, and what is wrong with me? At that point, I was also trying to understand the people around me and why they were going only through dating apps.
I begun thinking about how people would use their fingers to swipe left and right in order to find their perfect match; about how there was an algorithm to success in love instead of seeking it through more organic ways.
It’s interesting that you identify technology as one of the reasons for people’s growing loneliness and difficulty finding connection, when the film is actually devoid of most modern technology like phones and the Internet. What went into that decision?
Christos Nikou: Because we’re trying to make a direct comment on technology, the only technology device in the field had to be this test machine. Everybody goes into this one-room test machine to find the answers they’re looking for… It’s a much more powerful statement to talk about the impact of technology amidst a complete absence of modern technology. Everything is in the mind of the character – we wanted the film to feel more timeless, and the only real connection to our time is with the reference to Hugh Grant, because Hugh Grant is the only one who knows what love is.
In that spirit, can you speak on the visual tone and aesthetic of Fingernails? It’s particularly interesting that despite medical procedures taking place at the Love Institute with the removal of nails, the environment is completely opposite to the white, sterile environment of a hospital. In fact, it’s very warm and welcoming – what was the intent there?
Christos Nikou: We shot the film on 35mm in order to create something that was visually timeless. I like to think it looks like a move that was shot at the end of the 90s and put in a shoebox, almost like a prophecy. I also don’t think that conceptual stories should be clinical or distant. They need to be very, very grounded.
Were fingernails always going to be the body part used for testing?
Christos Nikou: When we were discussing this amongst writers, and Sam Steiner suggested that it be something taken from the heart, so that you’re taking a big risk to have your love tested. Then we wanted to make a comment about how everything goes through our fingers, and how our phones are extensions of that. Even when [in the film] they’re holding those certificates that state they’re 100% in love, it looks a little like the bandages are wedding rings. Like it’s a status thing to prove to the whole world that, oh look, we are in love. And losing a fingernail makes you feel a little bit more vulnerable, like your fingers aren’t protected. You’re sacrificing something and feeling the physical pain of love, so we thought that was the best thing to take as part of the test.
One of the key reasons why this film works so well has to be the chemistry between Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed. Did you know straight away that they would work well together? And what conversations did you have with them about their characters?
Christos Nikou: I always loved how Jessie surprises me, and Riz is a complete chameleon. And they’re both, in all their performances, very warm. Even if the film goes into very dark places, like Men, they’re always very warm on screen. And even though neither of them have done anything romantic before, I almost knew that they would have great chemistry. And I was right.
Building the chemistry was very easy because of who they are. But I was also playing this song before shooting every scene, so everyone was listening or singing along to the same song before the camera was rolling. So everyone on set is connected that way, and it helps everyone be on the same frequency.
And as a last question, we’re very excited to hear about your next project. What can you tell us?
Christos Nikou: I wanted to make a movie flowing a group of extras playing in famous movies. It’s about how we all try to be the protagonists in our lives. It’s an allegory on social media, how people are trying to lift themselves from the background to find their own role in this life.
Fingernails releases in select cinemas and on Apple TV+ from November 3rd.
