O Theos agapaei to haviari

"God Loves Caviar" is a Biography - Drama movie in which we follow the story of Ioannis Varvakis, a Greek pirate who became a successful businessman from selling caviar all over the world.

I liked this movie because it was interesting and I learned something from it since I didn't know who Ioannis Varvakis was and what he did. The direction which was made by Yannis Smaragdis was for one more time exceptional (taking into consideration the budget of the movie) and equally good with another movie of his "El Greco" of 2007. The interpretation of Sebastian Koch who played as Ioannis Varvakis was simply amazing and he did an excellent job. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Marisha Triantafyllidou's who played as Maria, Juan Diego Botto's who played as Lefentarios and Catherine Deneuve's who played as Catherine the Great. Finally, I have to say that "God Loves Caviar" is an interesting movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it.

One of the best films I have seen in my life!! Congratulations to everyone involved!

I found the direction wonderful, the costumes and sets were amazingly done and captured the era to a T!

Sebastian Koch was immaculate in his role of Ioannis Varvakis. I believe it was one of his best roles of his career. Ivan's performance was exceptional, and Marisha Triantafyllidou as Varvakis' daughter really impressed me.

As for the music, it was beautifully composed, it touched my heart deeply and it really filled up the film.

It is real easy to critic this film. But it is not exactly fair. Because it gives a large story in decent manner. For Catherine Deneuve as Catherine the Great and for the hard work of Sebastian Koch. For noble idea and for the interesting manner to reflect it. Sure, it is not great, remarkable or memorable. But, in each scene you feel the taste of salted sea and, in few, you imagine the taste of caviar. So, a pure Greek film, a pure Greek story.

I will agree with tinakewy's review. The screenplay was confusing a lot. I liked the actors a lot, especially the Greeks who were very serious with their roles. They didn't look like the usual Greek actors. I also really liked the mother of Varvakis when she came down to earth to talk with him. Her expressions and her eyes were very beautiful.

I would like to mention some technical issues that I noticed. Is it possible to have Out of Focus shots? There were lots of shots like this and there weren't a screenplay reason. It was a technical mistake. Even if the budget was low, controlling Focus is a basic thing. In some cases the video editing was a bit disturbing, too. You could tell the cuts. Also, the dubbing was noticeable in some cases.

I would really like to watch a great story, a great film as a Greek. But it wasn't that great.

Thank you.

Stunning film, which provokes a multitude of sentiments throughout its length, from laughter to cry, bliss to mild horror. Surprising, exciting and well made. Great cinematography, some beautiful shots of the Greek sea. A complex story made clear even for the ignorant (of the History behind it) to understand. The life of a hero from birth to death fits perfectly in a very carefully constructed scenario, which is in line with real events of his life and his time. And even if it's made to look like a 'fairy tale' for kids the film itself assures you it is not. Very good cast, a combination of international actors adapting difficult roles and performing them well. I felt it contains the 'theatrical stage element' as many other Greek productions do. Overall, honest with the viewer, it helps you stay a viewer enhancing your critical thought about what you are watching, giving you time to process it. And above all, the first 30 minutes give you more satisfaction than the series of The Pirates of the Caribbean all together! I would watch it again.