Strella

Strella was one of the two Greek films people would propose me to see this winter (the other being "Kynodontas"). Unfortunately I missed the second, but I had the opportunity to see this one and I have to say that, unlike my rather low expectations, it finally came out to be a very interesting film, actually more than other very highly discussed and budgeted Greek films. The good things about it?.. I guess it's because you never get bored through the film and there is always something in the plot to make it interesting. Then, it's the fact that it's very human. No one is characterized by what he / she does or who he / she is. A prison convict is just a person and so is a transsexual. I am happy with the fact that the film emphasizes on feelings and not on stereotypes. This makes it present a difficult subject in an easy way for the viewer,without being melodramatic or superficial either. My highlights are the squirrel scenes (fantastic idea!) plus the performance of Mina Orphanou - she is unbelievably good let alone for a non trained actor! So, I would highly suggest people to see this even if they have hesitations...

I never expected to see a movie in Greece about a transsexual, let alone one that was played by a real transsexual woman. That alone would have been a big deal for me. Thankfully though, there is definitely more to it. This is not a movie about being trans-gendered (or about being an ex convict for that matter), this is a movie about people seeking love in any form, about people trying to make a new start, re-defining themselves and their lives and living not according to stereotypes or social rules and notions as to what "is" right and wrong, but according to their own morality and their sense of what "feels" right and wrong. I loved the direct manner in which the "trans" issue was tackled with, I was taken with the tenderness of the love story - and of course there is that one nude scene that was really moving, honest, courageous, and magical at once. Granted, the plot twist did make me cringe a little bit, it felt somewhat "out there" and at this one instance I was like "this is at the verge of soapiness" but fortunately, it did not cross that line and the ending really did it for me after all. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a good movie, one that stands out from the bunch. Plus, Mina Orfanou is really good, especially considering she is an amateur, she captures the whole essence of the character with her performance, being charming, loving, rough and frustrated all at once.

I'm not conservative, I'm not a puritan, I'm tolerant and liberal, but I do have some limits and this film surpassed them.

I want to emphasize I do not mean the transsexual theme, which is absolutely fine, after all I did enjoy The Crying Game. I mean the twist in the plot, which I do not want to reveal for those who haven't seen the movie but it did make a very bad impression to me. This was WAY too much and spoiled my movie experience. This was bordering sickness. I can't believe such a sick twist was airbrushed in all the reviews I happened to read about this movie. And for what is worth, I also enjoyed Oldboy.

Anyway, art is art, but be prepared. For me only redeeming aspects if you manage to take the scenario out of the picture is Mina Orfanou's performance and the competent direction.

This is the story of Giorgos, an ex-convict who has spent more than fifteen years in prison, sentenced for a crime of honor, and Strella, a transsexual call girl. The opening scene, as Giorgos kisses good-bye his cellmate, is when the viewer is prepared for macho-looking Giorgos' sexual orientations or –if you want- his upcoming "tolerance" to the fact that Strella is not a common girl. Giorgos wouldn't possibly react the way Fergus reacted in Neil Jordan's "Crying Game". As Giorgos is set free to "live his myth" in the dirty city, walking among the human and the urban garbage, one can smell the urine in the narrow mean streets, downtown Athens. Soon, as Giorgos attempts to find more about the whereabouts of his long lost son, one suspects that the film is intended to be a modern version of a Greek tragedy, except it will not be, because Strella knows better! Fortunately, "deus ex machina" will not be required. Humans ought to deal with their issues by themselves, this time. The supporting characters are never becoming grotesque despite the fact that they are queer and that Death is flirting with them throughout the film. Even Strella's impersonation of Maria Callas in its falseness has a bizarre dignity and proves to be a successful tightrope walking mainly –in my opinion- because it has nothing in common and at any time with any of the Almodόvar's transvestite characters. All in all, "Strella" is a worth seeing film and one of those every so often moments the Greek cinematography surprises pleasantly.

Movies like this always confirm that the long hunt for good foreign cinema is always worth it in the end. It always helps to enter the world of film with an open-mind in order to truly appreciate what you're being shown.

Don't limit yourself to a certain type of movie trope or genre, experience the more abstract and see the beauty (if you can) in the flexibility of cinema.