‘Phantoms’ often exquisite, atmospheric images of nature, architecture and interiors hark back to the opulence of [Swann’s] earlier work, yet are harnessed into a narrative of yearning and unrequited love through inter-titles and the appearances of the male and female (Swann herself) protagonists. The film is an essay in desire using images rather than words. It’s like a prose poem, with the intertitles giving it syntax. Swann acknowledges the influence of silent film at the time and especially that of Russian lyricism in literature and film, with its conflation of the landscape with the personal.’ – Sotiris Kyriacou
