Reconstitution

While far from my favorite film by the great Greek film-maker Theo Angelopoulos, it is exquisitely shot in gorgeous, stark black and white, and very impressive as a first feature.

I also find (as with other of his films) I get more out of it on each viewing. This exploration of the nature of truth revolving around the murder of a husband by his wife and her lover in a tiny Greek hamlet, and the subsequent investigation by the police and the press is emotionally reserved to the point of disconnection at times. And the time-shifting style – which I often love – on first viewing left me confused and frustrated more than enlightened. But once I was prepared for its fragmented approach, I found its sometime confusing density powerful.

I also realized how fully this is more than just a noir murder tale. It's a tale of the death of a way of life as well, as the rural towns of Greece were abandoned for money and hope in the big cities and abroad.