SARAJEVO 2024 Documentary Competition

Review: Loxy

by Savina Petkova

(source: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/465922/)

It’s a truism that documentaries should be brave enough to tackle any kind of social issue without exceptions. It’s not the “what” that is tricky then, but the “how”. More often than not, we critics measure a documentary’s success (or persuasiveness) by how articulately it questions its own responsibilities: towards its subjects, themes and context. But there is no blueprint on how to evaluate that across the documentary spectrum, so one mustn’t forget to simply watch and feel. Watching Loxy, a feature documentary about an aspiring actress with Down Syndrome by Greek filmmakers Thanasis Kafetzis and Dimitris Zahos screening in the Sarajevo Film Festival’s Documentary Competition, brings up a lot of similar considerations when it comes to positionality, liability and empathy.

One thing documentary cinema is particularly good at is highlighting the complex—often hierarchical—three-part relationship between filmmaker, subject, and audience. Such discrepancies are not necessarily a bad thing or a contested point in my view, since empathy and visibly good intent can bridge the gaps in lived experiences. It’s not a bad move for able-bodied filmmakers to make films with and about disabled people and Kafetzis and Zahos do approach Loxy (Loxandra Loukas) with the utmost care and compassion. In many scenes of vulnerability (such as when she’s tired, hungry, or irritated) they keep the camera on but never to the point of discomfort; their commitment to showing how alike able and disabled people can be is clear in the inconspicuous aesthetics of the film. 

Loxy is a document, before all, of the protagonist’s major achievement: she is the first disabled person to sign an actor’s contract with the National Theatre of Greece. With her parents, she travels from Thessaloniki to Athens into a new routine of rehearsals, social interactions, demands, and accommodations over the course of the film’s runtime. Kafetzis and Zahos are there at home and in rehearsals, capturing the minutiae of preparations and Loxy’s adaptation process, as well as how others adapt to her. There is love and kindness felt in every frame, but one cannot help but wonder if this kind of film can ever avoid all the possible representational traps.

The directors are certainly committed to delivering a balanced narrative, one where Loxy is neither put on a pedestal nor undervalued. The inclusion of moments of confusion, emotional setbacks, and familial weakness make the film feel honest in its approach. The lack of stylistic flair, too, helps sustain the balance and works in the film’s favour. However, the one thing that’s missing is the acknowledged self-awareness on behalf of the filmmakers; the documentary is so strictly observational that it often undermines its own best efforts. Interactions between Loxy and the camera, between the filmmakers and her, as well as the other people present, would have given the film a much more genuine touch, as such a project is all about negotiating and respecting each other’s boundaries: it’s better to show certain things than to conceal them.

Loxy is a Greek production by Cutaway.