Revans

Right from the opening fantasy sequence of Antonis Kafetzopoulos imitating Humphrey Bogart in "Casablanca", you can tell "Revanche" is NOT going to be an ordinary movie. It is in fact very peculiar, fresh, dreamy, aimless, idiosyncratic: definitely not for all moods (more for a late-late night one), and probably works better on the second viewing - with the use of fast-forward where necesssary. Partly it's like a Greek "Jules & Jim", but it's more than that; its occasional pretentiousness is leavened by some very funny lines. Giota Festa is a dynamo, and a feminist ahead of the curve. **1/2 out of 4.

This is a controversial movie by a director who intensively commented his times... That means that the entire movie is directly connected with the social-political reality of the period.

In the beginning of the movie, Yiannis is found lost inside a multiple cinematographic reality he can't control. The connections with other movies are obvious (there are scenes copied and pasted from the empire of senses, singing in the rain, casablanca, etc). So, Yiannis is lost and caged inside closed rooms (we are most likely to find him there).

Love is one of the big topics in the movie. "Nothing is immoral in love" writes Eva in the wall and it all progresses from that. "Menage-a-trois" is accepted in the movie. Homosexuality is accepted by Yiannis. He does not practise it but he is very close to his gay friend, who offers him refuge. Intense masculinity is connected with his father and Giorgos, both of them characters which are either fake communists or traitors and consequently they are not approved of.

The role of women in the movie is very important too because they do not compromise or betray their believes but always follow their heart and their own mind.

The end is not relieving. It's not soothing. It's not kathartic. But it leaves the viewer with thoughts and thoughts.