A tender love story is placed atop a contrived and quirkified sci-fi premise in this new movie from Greek director Christos Nikou, whose debut feature, the metaphysical mystery Apples, was much admired. However the speculative conceit of Fingernails makes the film play like an absurdist comedy from which the absurdist comedy has been edited out, to be replaced with a serious emotional yearning, which is always being deconstructed and ironised by its bizarre narrative context.
We find ourselves in a future world, or alternative present, or even an alternative recent past, judging from the roll-film cameras and landline phone use. Jessie Buckley gives an excellent performance as Hannah, a teacher in a committed if unexciting relationship with Ryan, played by Jeremy Allen White. This relationship has been certified by the Love Institute, headed up by rumpled, distracted scientist Duncan (Luke Wilson), which uses state-of-the-art analysis of bio samples to see if any couple is really in love.
