“Free Eliza”, interview with the director Alexandra Matheou

Presented at the Quinzaine des Cinéastes during the 79th Festival de Cannes, “Free Eliza (Notes On An Anatomical Imperfection)” is the debut feature by Greek filmmaker Alexandra Matheou, a sharp and emotionally layered exploration of identity, performance and emotional repression.

The film follows Eliza, a hotel employee unable to smile physically, despite working in an environment where constant cheerfulness is expected. For Alexandra Matheou, the idea emerged from a real encounter with a hotel worker whose expression stayed with her long after their meeting. “She had the saddest face in the world,” the director recalled. “I remember writing a quick note on my phone after seeing her name tag: Eliza.”

That brief encounter became the foundation for a wider reflection on hospitality spaces as artificial environments where workers are expected to leave their personal struggles behind to perform emotional availability for guests.

According to Alexandra Matheou, hotels operate as microcosms of contemporary society, places where appearance matters more than emotional truth. The director draws a direct connection between this environment and the performative culture encouraged by social media.

“Everything online becomes a polished version of yourself,” she said. “None of the bad things make it there.”

Toxic Positivity Without Cynicism

Although “Free Eliza” critiques systems that demand constant positivity, the film deliberately avoids bitterness or cynicism. Alexandra Matheou, who describes herself as naturally optimistic, sees optimism itself as a form of resistance in the current social climate.

“The world makes it very hard to be optimistic,” she explained. “Settling for cynicism is easier.”

For the filmmaker, cynicism disconnects people from tenderness and empathy, while optimism allows space for human connection even during difficult times. The film, therefore, embraces sadness not as weakness, but as an essential part of emotional life.

“Sadness shouldn’t be hidden,” she said. “It should be embraced and processed because that’s part of the human condition.”

This balance between melancholy and warmth gives the film its particular tone, combining emotional vulnerability with moments of humour and quiet absurdity.

Reimagining the Female Protagonist

One of the most striking aspects of Free Eliza is the way its protagonist refuses victimhood. Despite existing within a system constantly judging her appearance and emotional behaviour, Eliza maintains a strong sense of inner freedom.

Alexandra Matheou explained that many of her female characters share this quality. They are often outsiders within their environments, yet they never surrender their individuality in order to fit social expectations.

“I’m done watching women as victims on screen,” the director stated. “I want a greater range of female characters.”

For her, Eliza’s resistance lies precisely in her refusal to perform emotional agreeability. The film challenges cultural expectations surrounding femininity, particularly the pressure imposed on women to appear pleasant, accommodating and emotionally accessible at all times.

“The label of a ‘difficult woman’ is something I detest,” Alexandra Matheou said. “Women are constantly taught to act agreeably.”

The director also connected these ideas to her own personal experiences, acknowledging how often women are encouraged to suppress discomfort or disagreement in order to avoid judgment.

Humor as Emotional Survival

Despite addressing loneliness, social pressure and emotional alienation, Free Eliza remains unexpectedly funny. Humour, according to Alexandra Matheou, is essential to her way of observing human behaviour.

“Even in dramatic scenes, I like to infuse humour,” she said. “Sometimes life is tragic and ridiculous at the same time.”

The film’s voiceover became a key tool in balancing these emotional tones, allowing the audience access to Eliza’s intelligence, irony and emotional richness. Through humour, the character resists becoming defined by external perceptions.

Authenticity as Resistance

By the film’s conclusion, Free Eliza gradually dismantles the audience’s assumptions about its protagonist. What initially appears as sadness or deficiency becomes something entirely different: freedom from the obligation to perform.

“There’s nothing to fix here,” Alexandra Matheou said. “Only something to embrace.”

Asked whether authenticity has become a radical act in a world built around performance, the director answered without hesitation.

“Absolutely,” she replied. “The world tells you to be yourself, but only if that self fits what society considers acceptable.”

For Alexandra Matheou, the challenge today is preserving a connection to one’s inner voice amid the noise of social expectations, digital performance, and cultural pressure. In Free Eliza, that resistance becomes both political and deeply human.

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