Ziteitai pseftis

This bitter political satire is based on a theatre play, later made to a movie, of which the current film is a remake.It's main focus is the clientelistic character of Greek politics which makes a well-meaning but naive Health minister to employ an ambitious young provincial with a talent for lying in order to handle the diverse demands of his volatile political clientèle.The provincial becomes the mastermind behind every move of the minister causing the envy of the minister's closest associates and of his good-looking wife, played by rising Greek media star Zeta Makrypoulia. Changes of fortune abound and finally the plot reveals that the lying provincial is not a bad person in heart although he never denounces lying as a survival strategy.

A satire on Greek politics with the problems of endemic corruption, clientelism and favoritism and occasional links with crime, financial or otherwise, the movie does not avoid being commonplace and very probably will affirm the sense of moral and cultural superiority of Western European and North American viewers towards Greek but also general Mediterranean social realities.

The cast includes actors that are very prominent in the present cultural scene of modern Greece and that will act as a magnet for the audience. Some comic occurrences are very memorable and responsive for a Greek audience although I can not guess whether they can be translated well in another visual and social culture.

The movie ends with a quasi-moral tone. Although it contains elements of truth one should not base solidly his/hers estimation of Greek social and political mores on what he sees here.

Zitietai Pseftis ("Liar Wanted") is a remake of a Greek comedy classic made in 1962, based on a play by the prolific playwright Dimitris Psathas. The issues in this movie is political corruption, cronyism, and the tendency to "stretch the truth" (= lie) in politics. It is a dark, witty political comedy about a charming, yet pathological, liar, who works his way up the political ladder as a political aide for an honest, yet clueless and largely ineffectual, government minister.

On the down side, the movie reverts, however briefly, to the tendency in many Greek comedies to become a "T & A" farce. Thankfully and quickly, the movie returns to the comic issues present in Psathas' play.

On the up side, the dialogue is smart, the acting is spot-on, the casting is perfect, and the pace is fast-paced and engaging. The issues are indeed universal. While many of the situations in this movie may be specific to Greece, political corruption and lying politicians are hardly limited to Greece. World-wide, in politics the game is the same. Anyone could relate to this movie if not for the fact that lying and political corruption is a fact of life in every country world wide.

While the protagonist predictably gets caught up in his numerous lies, the movie wisely downplays the type of moralism that could easily spoil the comedy intended on the subject. There are indeed tragic and far-reaching consequences to political prevarication (remember "Weapons of Mass Destruction"?). Disregarding this, it is comical, albeit darkly comic and mainly in hindsight, to witness a governmental functionary tell an obvious, plain, falsehood, a bald-face lie, say, at a Congressional hearing or in national address or press conference.

For English viewers, there are subtitles to enjoy the action. For Greek-speakers, the dialogue is hilarious. There are certain things that cannot be stated in subtitles. The movie should not be missed.