Christos Nikou On Exploring Love In Jessie Buckley & Riz Ahmed Starrer ‘Fingernails’: “We Are Living In A Time Of Fast-Food Emotions” – Contenders London

Greek writer-director Christos Nikou wanted to explore the modern concept of love when he approached his English-language debut Fingernails starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed and Luke Wilson. Speaking at Deadline’s Contenders London event, the Apples director admitted that the concept of dating apps and using algorithms to find love was an idea that intrigued him. 

“I was always trying to understand what love is and why we are so obsessed with love and why we’re looking for love,” said Nikou. “But, also, I think that right now a lot of people, and especially from the younger generation, are looking at love in a different way. I mean, imagine that they are letting an algorithm decide about them and they are using their finger to swipe right or left in order to find the perfect match that is compatible for them. That’s why we decided to do a movie about love but also in a little different way because love exists, and we need it.” 

He added, “We’re living in a time of fast-food emotions.” 

In this sci-fi love story, a test has been discovered that measures whether married couples are truly in love, and institutes have opened to help couples succeed. Anna (Buckley) is skeptical of the positive result she’s received with her longtime partner, so she starts working in a love institute as an assistant to Trevor (Ahmed), a mysterious and dedicated instructor. 

Featuring a surprising amount of body horror, including pulling fingernails from people to determine if they are a love match, Nikou says the physical pain element was integral to exploring the nature of love in the film. 

When you are in love “you need to feel a little bit of pain,” said Nikou. “So, we’re trying to make the pain of love equal to the physical pain.” 

The Greek director added that when casting the film, Wilson’s character, who runs the institute that tests for love, was originally a role offered to Hugh Grant who declined because the role was “too small.” 

Nikou said that Grant was “the guy in the movies who always gets the girl” and he considered the English actor to be symbolic of love in many ways. So, he decided to give Grant a nod in the film. In one scene, Buckley’s character comes out of a movie theatre and the cinema marquee reveals there’s a Hugh Grant marathon playing. 

Nikou’s debut film Apples premiered at the Venice Film Festival and became Greece’s official Oscar entry. Nikou co-wrote Fingernails with Apples co-writer Stavros Raptis and Sam Steiner. The Apple TV+ project is being released theatrically November 3 before it launches on the streamer.

Check out the panel video above.