What Is Alps About?
The premise of Alps in 329 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a quiet suburb a modest gym hides an unsettling subculture: a discreet collective that offers a highly specialized service to those haunted by loss. For a fee, its members step into the lives of the departed, rehearsing scripts and mannerisms to give grieving clients a fleeting, tangible encounter with the people they have lost. The operation is framed as a clinical ritual—precise, emotion‑laden, yet deliberately detached—transforming a space of athletic training into a covert workshop where grief is both commodity and performance.
At the helm of the enterprise is the enigmatic Mont Blanc, a figure whose authority is conveyed through measured gestures and an almost ceremonial presence. Assisting him is the imposing coach known only as Matterhorn, whose relationship with the gym’s rhythmic gymnast is marked by a blend of mentorship and an unspoken power dynamic. Monte Rosa, a poised hospital nurse, brings a clinical exactness to the impersonations, while the young gymnast herself aspires to rise within the ranks, honing her own talent for mimicry. Each member possesses a distinct skill that makes the collective’s service plausible, and together they navigate a delicate balance of professional detachment and personal obsession.
The world of the film is rendered in muted tones, where the hum of treadmills and the echo of practiced routines intertwine with whispered negotiations and carefully crafted facades. The atmosphere oscillates between the austere precision of a medical protocol and the fragile intimacy of a private goodbye, creating a mood that feels both hypnotic and disquieting. As the team prepares its elaborate reenactments, the boundaries between empathy and exploitation blur, inviting the audience to contemplate the ethics of manufactured closure.
Through its restrained visual style and lingering soundtrack, the story immerses viewers in a realm where grief is commodified, talent becomes a conduit for deception, and the characters’ hidden motives ripple beneath the surface of each calculated encounter. The tension between duty and desire, ritual and reality, sustains an unsettling curiosity that drives the narrative forward.
What Happens in Alps?
The complete story of Alps, from the first scene to the last, in 736 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 4 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
A rhythmic journey into a secretive subculture unfolds as a small gym becomes the stage for an unusual enterprise. A rhythmic gymnast, Ariane Labed, practices a routine to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, only to be told by her coach, Johnny Vekris as the man who nicknames himself “Matterhorn,” that she should not drift toward pop and that questioning him could have dire consequences. The pair share a tense dynamic marked by calculated obedience and a chilling undertone of power, and after a moment of quiet apology, the tension lingers in the room.
In Alps, a discreet and secretive organization operates from the gym: the gym itself doubles as a meeting place where the businessman-like staff orchestrate their discreet service. The group comprises four members, each playing a role in a carefully choreographed, emotionless ritual. The gymnast and her coach—the latter adopting the nickname Matterhorn—are joined by a hospital nurse, Aggeliki Papoulia as Monte Rosa, and an EMT, Aris Servetalis as Mont Blanc. For a price, one of Alps’ members acts as a “substitute” for a recently deceased person when clients visit loved ones to help with the grieving process. The set-up is clinical: the substitutions are calculated, the scripts are rehearsed, and the emotional exchanges are meant to feel meaningful while remaining deliberately transactional.
The Mont Blanc-led group undertakes a high-stakes case: a young female tennis player who has survived a serious accident but is not expected to live. Mont Blanc, the leader’s baton-wielding figure, works with Monte Rosa, who is on the tennis player’s hospital care team, to study the teen and gather information that could make a substitute possible after the death. The gymnast tries to stay on Mont Blanc’s good side to position herself as a future substitute, but Monte Rosa becomes emotionally entangled, telling the girl’s family that the teenager will recover. When the tennis player dies, Monte Rosa secretly offers her services to the grieving parents while concealing the truth from the Alps’ circle.
Alps’ client roster reads like a catalog of intimate requests: a man mourning an old friend, a blind woman whose husband has died after years of infidelity, and the lamp shop owner who has lost his diabetic girlfriend. The clients dictate what the members should wear, say, and do, and they help craft scenarios that verge on the intimate while keeping a cold, businesslike detachment. While the rules forbid sexual relations with clients, the dynamics are undeniably charged: Matterhorn regularly kisses the blind woman, and Monte Rosa has sex with the lamp shop owner, underscoring the moral ambiguity that threads through every interaction.
Monte Rosa’s undercover mission grows riskier as she visits the tennis player’s parents multiple times, learning to mimic the girl with unsettling accuracy. The scenes become a study in imitation: Monte Rosa even reenacts a moment with the deceased girl’s boyfriend, then takes that boyfriend home to sleep with him. The other members of Alps grow suspicious when Monte Rosa misses meetings and fabricates explanations. Mont Blanc follows her to the tennis player’s home, confronts her, and, after a brutal moment, ejects her from the group. The gymnast steps in to assume Monte Rosa’s role as the tennis player, stitching up a cheek wound and returning to the family with a new, troubling method of grief work.
Back at home, Monte Rosa confronts personal shocks: she asks her father about her late mother’s favorite actor and singer, and when she pursues him physically, he slaps her. She then crashes a ballroom with her father’s former dance partner and his new girlfriend, forcing a confrontation that ends with the partner on the ground. The final intrusion unfolds when Monte Rosa returns to the tennis player’s house: she breaks a sliding-glass door and slips into the room, only to be confronted by the parents who, in a merciless gesture, seal the scene with a metal shutter as Monte Rosa shuffles on the patio.
The gymnast’s performance closes the film, moving gracefully to “Popcorn” as Matterhorn watches with a quiet pride. She finishes, embraces her coach, and tells him he is the best in the world—an echo of a previous, disturbing moment that lingers in the air. A smile that once seemed bright fades, leaving a stark, unresolved emotion in its wake. The routine ends not with triumph, but with a stark, uneasy quiet that reflects the complicated ethics and blurred boundaries at the heart of Alps.
Alps Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
13 key events in the order they happen, from “Practice to Carmina Burana” to “Final performance and coach moment”. 13 events name a place, across 8 locations.
- 1
Practice to Carmina Burana
A rhythmic gymnast rehearses a routine set to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The rehearsal showcases her precision and the rigid authority of her coach. A tense power dynamic begins to surface as the coach asserts control.
When:early in film Where:Gym
- 2
Demand for pop song and coach's threat
After the practice, she tells her coach she would rather use a pop song. He dismisses pop as inappropriate and threatens to break her arms and legs if she questions him again. She apologizes, chastened.
When:immediately after practice Where:Gym
- 3
Alps organization introduction
Alps is introduced as an unusual organization that meets in the gym where the gymnast trains. For a fee, a substitute acts as a recently deceased person during visits with loved ones to aid the grieving process. The core members are the gymnast, her coach Matterhorn, the nurse Monte Rosa, and Mont Blanc the EMT.
When:early in film Where:Gym
- 4
Mont Blanc's hospital case and Monte Rosa's study
Mont Blanc, the leader, treats a severely injured young tennis player in hospital. Monte Rosa is on the care team and begins studying the patient to collect information for a possible substitution. The nurse's curiosity signals growing interest in Alps' methods.
When:early to mid Where:Hospital
- 5
Tennis player's death and substitution offer
The tennis player dies, leaving the family in mourning. Monte Rosa offers her services to the grieving parents, while telling the others that the girl has recovered.
When:after death Where:Tennis player's home
- 6
Alps clients and procedural rules
The Alps' clients include a man mourning an old friend, a blind woman, and the lamp shop owner. The clients dictate what the members should wear, do, and say, and the group constructs scenarios for emotionally intimate, though mostly transactional, interactions.
When:mid Where:Alps facility
- 7
Affairs within Alps: kiss and sex
Matterhorn regularly kisses the blind woman, showing boundary-crossing affection. Monte Rosa also has sex with the lamp shop owner, illustrating the group's morally ambiguous dynamics.
When:mid Where:Alps facility
- 8
Monte Rosa prepares to substitute the tennis girl
Monte Rosa visits the tennis player's parents to learn to imitate their daughter. They reenact a scene with the dead boyfriend, and Monte Rosa takes the boyfriend to the home she shares with her father and sleeps with him.
When:mid Where:Monte Rosa's home
- 9
Suspicion and confrontation
The other Alps members grow suspicious when Monte Rosa misses meetings and lies about her whereabouts. Mont Blanc tails her to the tennis player's house and uncovers the truth. He arranges to meet Monte Rosa in the gym, hits her in the face with a training club, and ejects her from the group.
When:late Where:Alps gym
- 10
Monte Rosa's family confrontation
Monte Rosa returns home and asks her father about her deceased mother's favorite actor and singer; he slaps her. The moment exposes a volatile, unsettling dynamic between daughter and father.
When:post-confrontation Where:Monte Rosa's home
Show the other 3 events of Alps Hide the last 3 events
- 11
Ballroom confrontation
She visits a ballroom with her father and aggressively tries to dance with his dance partner and his new girlfriend, not stopping even after the woman has fallen. The behavior underscores her deteriorating sense of boundaries.
When:late Where:Ballroom
- 12
Break-in at tennis player's house
Monte Rosa returns to the tennis player's house, breaks through a sliding-glass door, triggering an alarm. She goes to the tennis player's room and gets into bed, but the parents enter and forcibly throw her out, lowering a metal shutter over the door while Monte Rosa shuffles on the patio.
When:final Where:Tennis player's house
- 13
Final performance and coach moment
The gymnast performs elegantly to 'Popcorn' while Matterhorn looks on proudly. After finishing, she runs into his arms and tells him he is the best coach in the world, echoing a bizarre, sadomasochistic moment earlier in the story. Her smile fades, hinting at the emotional cost of the relationship.
When:final Where:Gym
Who Are the Main Characters in Alps?
5 characters, among them The Gymnast (Ariane Labed), Mont Blanc (Aris Servetalis) and Monte Rosa (Aggeliki Papoulia): who each one is and the part they play in the story. 4 of them link to the actor’s page.
-
The Gymnast (Ariane Labed)
Played by Ariane Labed
A disciplined rhythmic gymnast and core member of Alps. She follows the group’s rules and uses her skill to perform substitutions demanded by Mont Blanc's leadership. Her loyalty shifts between obedience and opportunistic power-sharing, culminating in a tense moment when she takes over the tennis player's role, and a final, fading smile hints at unresolved doubt.
- 🏃♀️ Athlete
- 🧠 Psychological
- 🎭 Drama
- MB
Mont Blanc (Aris Servetalis)
Played by Aris Servetalis
The domineering and detail-oriented leader of Alps who orchestrates the organization’s actions. He controls the substitutions, enforces strict rules, and reacts with force when a member steps out of line. His confrontations and strategic maneuvers drive the group toward a harsh, ultimately restructured dynamic.
- 🧠 Power
- 🎭 Drama
- 💼 Authority
- MR
Monte Rosa (Aggeliki Papoulia)
Played by Aggeliki Papoulia
A hospital nurse who becomes a calculating participant in the substitutions. She grows attached to the tennis player and begins crossing boundaries, manipulating the truth and personal relationships. Her deception is uncovered, leading to a dramatic fall from the group and a damaging personal unraveling.
- 💉 Caregiving
- 🧠 Identity
- 🎭 Drama
- M(
Matterhorn (Johnny Vekris)
Played by Johnny Vekris
The gym coach and the nickname-wielding, meticulous commander within Alps. He maintains a strict regime, directs the performances, and serves as a counterbalance to Monte Rosa’s drifting loyalties. His authority is asserted through calculated decisions and controlled interactions.
- 🎭 Drama
- 🏋️ Coach
- 🧠 Authority
- TP
Tennis Player
A young female athlete who sustains a severe car accident and is not expected to survive. Her case becomes the focal point of Alps' substitution scheme, with the nurse and gymnast preparing to enact a replacement to help the family grieve.
- 🎾 Athlete
- 💔 Grief
- 🏥 Medical
Where and When Is Alps Set?
Alps is set in Gymnasium (Alps meeting place), Hospital, Tennis Player's House and Ballroom (2010s). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
2010s
The events unfold in a contemporary, present-day milieu with modern medical care and urban spaces. The gym, hospital, and personal residences reflect a modern era where technology and routines shape intimate experiences. The story’s pace and aesthetics align with early 2010s cinema, focusing on psychological tension rather than historical context.
Where
Gymnasium (Alps meeting place), Hospital, Tennis Player's House, Ballroom
The Alps conduct their meetings in a stark gym where routines and scripts govern interactions. Key scenes also unfold at a hospital where the tennis player's care is managed, at the tennis player's family home where impersonations are rehearsed, and in a ballroom that becomes a stage for ritualistic confrontations. The setting emphasizes a clinical, controlled environment where grief is manipulated as a service.
- 🏋️ Gym
- 🏥 Hospital
- 🏠 Home
- 💃 Ballroom
What Are the Themes of Alps?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Control, Grief and Identity.
-
01
Control
A world of rigid protocols and paid performances governs every interaction. Alps dictates behavior, appearance, and even moments of intimacy, revealing how power can sanitize grief and emotion. The gymnast, Mont Blanc, and Monte Rosa navigate a hierarchy that rewards compliance and punishes dissent. The tension arises from the thin line between service and manipulation.
-
02
Grief
Grief is commodified as a service offered to clients who want closure without genuine mourning. Substituting a deceased person allows families to perform their rituals while bypassing authentic connection. The drama exposes how emotional pain can be monetized and staged. The outcome questions whether genuine healing can occur within such transactional bounds.
-
03
Identity
Identity becomes a flexible role to be assumed or abandoned at will. Monte Rosa impersonates the deceased girl, blurring lines between self and role, while the gymnast steps into another life when the opportunity arises. The boundaries between truth and performance dissolve, leaving characters to confront who they really are under pressure. The film probes how much of a person remains when the mask is worn long enough.
What Kind of Film Is Alps?
Dark in tone, with slow pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Ambiguous
A chillingly detached and somber drama that explores the clinical commodification of grief through an unsettling secret society, creating an atmosphere of profound moral ambiguity and psychological disquiet.
- clinical
- dissociative
- oppressive
- melancholic
- unsettling
- chilling
- grief and loss
- impersonation
- identity crisis
- moral ambiguity
Content notes: death, grief, impersonation of deceased, emotional manipulation, non-consensual intimacy implication.
Quiz
How well do you remember Alps? Test yourself on the story.
