Bizarre situations and a darkly comedic sensibility are hallmarks of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. His latest work, “Bugonia,” a tale of two cousins who believe they’ve kidnapped an alien, perfectly embodies these traits.
Since his breakthrough film “Dogtooth” in 2009, Lanthimos has consistently collaborated with a single artist to produce film posters that are just as mind-bending as his cinematic creations: graphic designer Vasilis Marmatakis. The two initially connected in the early 2000s while working in advertising, alongside Efthymis Filippou, who frequently co-writes Lanthimos’s screenplays.
“Vasilis endeavors to visually capture a profound essence of the film without overt explanation, creating a synchronous connection between the poster and the movie,” Lanthimos explained in a video interview.
Marmatakis, who begins his work as soon as a screenplay is finalized, is drawn to Lanthimos’s films because “they are dark, pop, and funny,” he shared from Athens. “And they offer incredibly stunning visual material to work with.”
Despite Lanthimos’s global acclaim, his partnership with Marmatakis remains a distinctly Greek affair. “We always discuss things in Greek,” the designer added.
Below, Marmatakis offers insights into the interpretations behind his iconic posters for Lanthimos’s filmography.
‘Bugonia’
Marmatakis, a long-time admirer of New Zealand typeface designer Joseph Churchward, found that Churchward’s Brutalist font, ‘Churchward Roundsquare,’ perfectly complemented the dark sci-fi themes of “Bugonia.” He noted, “It looked truly futuristic, with sharp edges that felt monumental yet remarkably D.I.Y.” He first contacted the Museum of New Zealand, then Churchward’s estate, eventually connecting with the designers authorized by Churchward’s daughter to digitize the font. Marmatakis also meticulously hand-crafted the credits, printing them out and then brushing them with water to achieve a subtle distortion.
‘Dogtooth’
“Dogtooth” portrays three siblings raised in almost complete isolation from the outside world. Before settling on the final minimalist design, Marmatakis and Katerina Papanagiotou, then partners at their creative studio MNP, explored numerous concepts, including visuals that depicted elements the children would never encounter. “We considered a series of posters featuring a polar bear, Niagara Falls, a rave, with just ‘Dogtooth’ underneath,” he recalled. Ultimately, they chose a simple, abstract representation of distortion. Marmatakis explained, “We created this symbol with three lines, each representing a child’s individual path, converging at the end.”
‘Alps’
For “Alps,” a film about a group who impersonates the recently deceased for grieving families, Marmatakis crafted a meta-poster designed to resemble a hand-distributed flyer. “It’s entirely handmade,” he stated, explaining he printed, cut, and collaged photos of the characters. “It’s black-and-white because the characters themselves would have simply photocopied it.”
‘The Lobster’
Marmatakis’s initial concept for “The Lobster” depicted two hands embracing the outline of an empty rectangular poster, symbolizing the film’s dystopian premise where single individuals must find a partner or face transformation into an animal. However, he found this too rigid. The empty space eventually evolved into a more fluid, amorphous shape. “It certainly conveys loneliness,” he elaborated, “but you’re left wondering what Colin Farrell is actually hugging—is it real? Is it even human? It could be an animal. I aimed to visualize this emotional void.”
‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’
In this film, Colin Farrell portrays a surgeon and family man whose seemingly perfect life is threatened by an inexplicable force. “I sought to evoke a sense of hopelessness within a sterile medical setting,” Marmatakis explained. The poster’s exaggerated verticality underscores an inescapable predicament with no benign resolution. “When you’re in a hospital, and something happens to you or a loved one, you feel powerless,” he reflected. “It’s like being at the bottom of a well with no escape. The two beds in front of him also represent the agonizing choice he faces in the narrative.”
‘The Favourite’
When Olivia Colman’s side profile as the capricious 18th-century Queen Anne was flipped horizontally, Marmatakis noticed a striking resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II’s image on stamps or coins. He then muted her skin tone, aiming to create ambiguity: Is she dead? “Her lovers are depicted on her face; one holds a brush, the other a pearl necklace. It’s unclear whether they’re adorning her or plotting her demise,” he said. “They appear as two insects, manipulating and influencing her, mirroring the film’s central themes.”
‘Poor Things’
A closer inspection of Emma Stone’s face on the “Poor Things” poster reveals subtle swashes of color that, upon closer look, form images of the figures who shaped the life of her character, Bella Baxter—an adult woman with the developing brain of a child. Marmatakis explained his artistic thought process: “Kids sometimes try to mimic adults by putting on makeup. So, I thought it would be intriguing if these colors represented the men in her life. You’re left to wonder if they applied this makeup, or if she did it herself to appear appealing.”
‘Kinds of Kindness’
R.M.F. (Yorgos Stefanakos), a minor character who experiences death and resurrection, serves as the unifying thread for the three distinct stories in this anthology. Marmatakis aimed to portray him “as a dead body that is also somewhat alive.” To achieve a visual reminiscent of worms swarming a corpse, he overlaid photos of Emma Stone’s character dancing onto R.M.F.’s portrait. “Then I realized I couldn’t just use Emma Stone a thousand times,” he quipped, “so I incorporated other characters, each in slightly different colored attire, on top of a brown background that’s actually Emma Stone dancing, which I found quite amusing.”
Posters by Vasilis Marmatakis