Fonissa

The movie is killer would be another (no pun intended) summary headline I could have used. And I am quite sure that after I watched it, I had another one in mind. Which I do not remember - but I am content with my choice. Now is the main character content with her choices? Well let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Let's start with the source (book) material ... I have not read. I was not even aware of it - same is true of the story (or rather true history behind it all). Now while we do not get to see things explicitly ... this still is not for the faint of heart ... this really cuts to the bone ... takes away your breath one might say (again no pun intended).

Some of the acting may feel ... well not top notch and I understand that the movie also feels low budget and many other things ... but the rawness of it is exhilarating to say the least. With a title like that, you may have some notion of where this might go - if you read the book you already know obviously. But if like me you haven't ... not sure if you will guess it from the start - it took me a minute to realize what this was about and what dark turns it would take.

When you look back - the way you lived, you handled your life ... you likely will make up excuses for poor choices you made (and I am being a bit nonchalant considering what we are talking about here) ... but everyone is a hero in their own story ... and the same is true for the main character here ... she does not see herself as a bad person ... she thinks she helps. The dialog may be too on the nose, too obvious instead of reading things between the lines ... but the message is strong nonetheless ... a powerful movie/theme ... that is hard to grasp if you have a modicum of empathy ...

I went to watch this movie fearing that because of its female directorship, it would focus more on the "patriarchy" issue and not on the rest of the stuff. Thankfully, I was completely wrong. The movie perfectly captures the mental and psychological world of the protagonist as well as the era (1902, Skiathos Island). As far as the acting goes, it was not something special but is surely stands out from most Greek movies. Papadiamantis wrote a masterpiece and Eve Nathena transfered that masterpiece into the big screen in a way well beyond what we have to get used to in Greece. In other words, go and see it!

What misery a bad Papadiamantis story in its bad film adaptation. The case is moving slowly. Very late, you could barely watch it if you have sleep problems. The protagonist saves the situation a little, but in the midst of a bad mess, she too gets carried away. What a bad movie. How Bad interpretations. A mess of an hour and a half that you just want to end before you get a headache. Don't make the mistake of seeing her. Don't press cinema and if you happen to be on TV just change the channel. An attempt by the director to give a dramatic tone to the film is very dark in every scene. The countless overcast shots and the constant black clothing of the actors. A bad music and overall a golden mediocrity.

A pretentious boring film hyped by the local media as an artistic masterpiece!!! All we have instead are schematic characters, bad acting from all, even from the leading actress, lack of directing guidance to the actors, inferior sound design as it was often the case voices to sound dettached from the image context, questionable soundrack foreign to the spirit of the story and more keen to the spirit of Herzog's Nosferatu!!!

Angelopoulos 50 years earlier with his "Reconstitution" has so much more poignantly described and blended his story into its socially anthropological and geographhical context.

Modern Greek Cinema has so many better samples to offer in world viewers.

Nai men alla...

The story needed more work; as Georgousopoulos once told me when we were having coffee in Kolonaki, if a creator uses Papadiamantis' work they should respect the main structure, and then they may add whatever the heck they wish to add; if they don't, the plot starts to have problems.

I went to watch the movie hoping it would be a masterpiece. I think they did a good job but something was missing...

On the other hand I loved the level of production; them cloths; the scenery; the beautiful village; the actresses; Karampeti, in particular.

Maybe next time a creator makes a movie out of Fonissa they try to use Zoulias' work for "the women of Papadianantis".