Ftina tsigara

A movie that presents Greek life in a romantic way. Very low budget, very ambiguous story, yet an excellence. What cinema as an art should be. You can take away whatever you want from this film, but it for sure visually stunning in a looking from afar kind of way. Definetely crafted with passion and meraki. A must watch if you like indie cult films that show culture and romance of another time. Everyone who watched this movie loved it.

It is the kind of movie that will change a little bit how you view the world. The kind of movie that is just pure creation from someone's mind and soul. Buy a pack of the cheaper cigarettes you can find and lose yourself to 90s Athens' empty summer streets.

It is very odd not to consider this film unique and magnetic, if you have ever even once stop the time and think through the city's pulse. This movie is a poet about nameless dreams and stopping of time in order to cope with an anonymous city which nevertheless seems to have people with certain IDs. The staring character is an observer and yet a star in a bohemian "under"world. Charalambidis manage to express his out of time and out of place dream of life, a constant trip through a yet still city. It is not easy to make a movie without any touchable plot and not having eg Jean Pierre Leo in your team. The actors, the music, the sleeping city fit perfectly to the movie. If you have an intention of not reading a poem, prefering novels and secret meanings, don 't watch this movie. On the other hand if you want to know the people's thoughts and relations without any ID and special role watch the movie and you may find some dreams and thoughts of your inner self who wakes up when the city is asleep.

Restless and romantic Renos with a pinch of surrealism...

Haralambides, a beatnik-wannabe himself, has a first go at creating a film with beatnik connotations all around. Only it doesn't work out that well. The main character (you guessed it, Haralambides) takes a midnight stroll round the deserted streets of athens with a girl he meets by accident. In the process they hold a 'most mortifying cliche ever' contest by elaborating on matters of life, love, death, what have you, only to come to the conclusion that, well, she doesn't fancy him very much. All this is embellished with parallel storylines taken from the life of our hero (Haralambides, lest we forget) or nowhere in particular (as if anyone cares). The only (mildly) exciting bit in the entire film is Costas Tsakonas's performance (whose name by the way is not even mentioned in the credits). A terrible waste of time, money and talent (definitely not Haralambides's).

Yes! Renos Haralambidis' work is always constructively destructive and enjoyable...

"Cheap Smokes" is another version of "No Budget Story" or "The Heart of the Beast".

Critics could say that he is repeating the narration of his life story (or the life story of a friend) but in my opinion he is demonstrating again his ability to cope with a low budget to produce a cinematography that is not cheap. I have seen the film 24 hours ago and I am still laughing with the picture of the face of the self blow-jobber's mother as entering into his room!

Congrats! I give an 8 out of 10 for "Cheap Smokes"