Adults in the Room

Honestly I couldn't believe starting from the first scenes of the film that this was a Costas Gavras film. It screamed "quick and dirty" approach through out the entire movie. Bad direction, bad lighting and photography - almost amateur. It's really a pity that such an acclaimed creator made this work... Nice surprise from the Loulis in the role of Yannis Varoufakis, at least he was ok to watch.

First of all, I will start by mentioning the obvious: The negative reviews are by not-so-bright Greeks who can't review a movie for what it is, but for what it shows. The summer of 2015 was a pretty heated period in Greece, and many people have not forgiven the politicians involved.

About the movie. Don't expect a masterpiece. It is not. However it is a decent representation of Varoufakis's point of view, which on each own, is extremely interesting. Loulis's performance as Varoufakis is the strongest asset of this movie in my opinion. Bourdoumis was very good as well as Tsipras.

Photography was good. Editing was good. I found the sound editing irritating, like I do in most Greek movies (why is that? Any greek production sounds weird to me, like they can't keep steady the volume of the voices spoken).

7/10 from me.

As far as the real events, i watched what I was expecting even me not having read Varoufakis's book. So almost nothing special here, no surprise. So, despite the "outsider's" role of Varoufakis, expected some more "insider's" information.

I liked the performance of almost all characters. They are totally in line with the actual person's image to the public, in a dramatic and brutal realistic way together. I would say it is Gavras style with a bit of Nikos Perakis'...

I liked the photography. Lighting and colors are top notch in bright and dark scenes. Especially the darks in Varoufakis' house or the semi-lighted scene when Varoufakis speeks to british bankers. Composition and perspective are also excellent. However, there was some lens distortion in the wide internal shots that could have been avoided. DOPs have managed this decades ago shooting film, so no excuse have them shooting digital nowadays, except it was a choice not a compromise, however i can see no reason for this in those particular shots.

As far as the screenplay and editing. Did not like it very much as a whole. Nice cuts, fluid scenes, but many important events are a bit squeezed at the end. Like the editor suddenly realised that he aproached the movie's time limit and had to exclude takes, or the producers suddenly run out of money. Maybe that is how Varoufakis book ends? Do not know, but it is a movie not a book and I believe great Costas Gabras could have done better here. Final documentary titles also seem to try and fill this gap, with no success in my opinion.

Good casting and photography in a loyal transcript of Yanis Varoufakis' original book. However I found the direction uninspired and dry. The film could be watched as a dramatised documentary as the events are stripped down of any emotional attachments. It is recommended for people that prefer a visualised version of the author's excellent book.

It isn't one of the best of Gavras but still most reviews are from the individuals that disaprove of anyone trying to go against the european ang greek establisment and thus have a deep distaste for Varoufakis. Don't mind them and their low ratings. The garbage truck of history and the social unrest caused by their conservative fears that let the establisment continue their destructive "solution" in Greece and elsewere wil take care of them. See this movie with a grain of salt allways and make up your own minds.