Vassilis Kroustallis reviews the Cypriot dramedy 'Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump' by Emilios Avraam.
Cypriot Emilios Avraam undertakes a lot of narrative work and themes revolving around his central character, Smaragda (Niovi Charalambous) in his maiden refreshing dramedy of sorts 'Smaragda: I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump'. Yet, somehow the (sometimes half-baked) discourse on social media and the tyranny of making ends meet -plus a pinch of medical melodrama- makes the film work around its main steely and opinionated but immensely relatable main character.
The middle-aged Smaragda has long gone against the grain, wanting to 'better the world' and making educational TV shows for kids. When she decides to expand her craft to grownups (after a long TV hiatus), she finds the doors closed -and influencers proposed instead. Running out of money after her mother's death, she has no option but to work as a hotel's kids' playground entertainer (a job he likes but won't fulfill her). At the same time, she needs to take care of her personal life; and some dates seem around the corner, even though her loyal Bella dog seems to be the only one who understands her.
'Smaragda' is not another empowerment story, it is a story of persistence, which makes the film and the character closer to home. With strong opinions but ready to listen, feeling sorry for herself but still trying, taking one date after the other -and still looking for the one, Smaragda fits exactly the description of the elephant as an animal with thick skin - and therefore it can't jump. Screenwriter Avraam is ready to put a lot of hurdles in her path (some of which are unnecessary and somehow swamp the film more than intended, like her medical results). But it is always interesting to watch Smaragda re-invent herself and present self-angles we've never heard of with her social media suggestive escapades, proving that the person is more than the sum of the known parts. And, for the big chunk of the film, 'Smaragda' keeps us focused, making the character a testing case for middle-aged visibility via her unemployment. Not in a Ken Loach manner, but more of a Stephen Frears concoction. Even though sometimes Smaragda's eventual success in dating seems more of a pill to allay more worries to come than a truly earnt moment.
Cinematography (by Yorgos Rahmatoulin) is sure to highlight the two different worlds that Smaragda will eventually inhabit; the dark, wild room of the social media and the calm, sunny places of the touristic resort. Makeup makes its appearance equally strong, yet the persona and performance of Charalambous is a tour de force here. Charalambous has an innate gravitas in her demeanor which she uses here much to the advantage of the part; her movements are calculated and feel strong, and her way of gazing is never to complain but to understand and take all the courage left to continue.
'Smaragda I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump' navigates capably and engagingly the world of middle-aged gravitational void; its heart is for the world of meaning (instead of the world of digital 'content'), and its central performance elevates the film into a solid case-study of the pertinence of gaze (against all odds).
'Smaragda: I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump' had its world premiere at the 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Vassilis Kroustallis