GIORGOS KATAKOUZINOS
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB
Original title: Apousies
Greece, 1987. Greek Film Center, Greek Television ET-1. Screenplay by Giorgos Katakouzinos, Dimitris Nollas. Cinematography by Tassos Alexakis. Produced by Giorgos Katakouzinos, G. Krezias, Zorz Sarri, Giorgos Stergiou, Iris Zahmanidi. Music by Stamatis Spanoudakis. Production Design by Marilena Aravantinou. Costume Design by Giannis Karydis. Film Editing by Aristeidis Karydis-Fuchs.
Lovely period film that pays heavy lip service to Bergman’s Cries And Whispers. Three sisters from a wealthy family are left to stagnate when their father dies and, having impoverished their estate with his reckless gambling, provides them with very little to live on.
Eldest sister Eleni insists that they avoid public display, a lifestyle her father initiated after his wife abandoned them and she bore an illegitimate child. Middle sister Maria falls in love with a morally dubious neighbour who promises her adventure in the big, wide world, while youngest sister Christina observes from her youthful position and grows up in a world of misery and repression.
Gorgeously photographed and sumptuously dressed, this is a deeply affecting drama highlighted by terrific acting and a probing story.