Agoria stin porneia

"Agoria stin porneia", a 1985 release by Omiros Efstratiadfis, one of the most prolific directors of trashy films, at a time that those films were at their peak, intended to shock audiences by showing the expansion of gay community at the era, male prostitution, the decline of young people and their tendency to juvenile delinquency. I didn't expect much, since Efstratiadis was devoted then making cheap comedies, and I thought this was an attempt to cash in on the success of "Angelos". Angelos was a gay film, too, but it was concentrated on the two main characters, while here social issues are examined (homophobia, conservatism etc) which can reach to political extend (the conservatives against the "Reds"). Michalis Maniatis is in a different role from Angelos, he is a liberal journalist who will face his homosexuality after meeting young Pavlos. The melodrama is over the top sometimes, and director uses a lot of cruel scenes to make his film grittier and violent. The ending is very memorable, too. Overall, I think it's a flawed but certainly thrilling drama.