Notias

The film means little to the spectator who has not lived in Greece during the years of the dictatorship and the first years after wards. The creation of an nostalgic atmosphere with all the special effects is excellent and something the director knows well to do. The city of Athens during the sixties was well recreated. The acting in the movie was mediocre and so is the script, which was lacking an interesting plot. Certain parts of the movie seem boring, but in most of the scenes one can see the talent of the director and that of the camera man. May be the film would be more interesting with better actors. The great success of the director's previous movie makes the moviegoer to expect much more than this.

Since the introductory scene, the movie is taking you into a world of the past, in the atmosphere of the '60's. This is well sustained by the music, by the costumes and also by the excellent photography. The story line mixes fantasy, humour and creativity. It is the story of a young photographer in need of following the myths of his childhood, but giving them a totally different meaning. He denies to take over the business of their family friend and continue photographing in order to follow his desire to become a film maker and sometimes to turn the stories upside down. We learn through his story the meaning of "notias", where the imagination meets the past. It is the film of a becoming and I've rated it 8 because of its very good artistic realization.