In the 80's, drugs were a major problem for the Greek society. Especially teenagers fell into them easily and many of them died. This social issue was examined extensively by director Giannis Dalianidis, who made a successful trilogy about criminal and drug-taking youth ("Ta tsakalia", "I strofi", "Oi epikindinoi"). But there were other productions, too, that exposed the problem. One of them was "Panikos sta sholeia" (Panic in the schools), which came out in 1981.
The plot revolves around a father, named Giannis Makris, whose son dies of drug overdose. To vindicate him, he starts a frantic pursuit of the leader of the drug trafficking network that killed his son. In his work he is helped by a journalist, researching the phenomenon of drug use in schools.
As with many other productions of the Greek 80's movie industry, the direction in this movie is little to nonexistent. The actors just perform however they see suitable for their scenes. The director, Dimos Dadiras, made another movie addressing the relative problem of delinquency among the young, "Fylakes anilikon" (Juvenile prisons), which showed the torture of young criminals in a centre for troubled youth. Both this film and "Panikos sta sholeia" were successful in the box office, and have now gained cult status.
The acting in the film isn't of the highest quality, but it is engaging enough to carry it. All the actors here are overdramatic from time to time, but they generally did a good job showing how society and family reacted to the use of drugs, or worse the death resulting from them, by kids and teenagers.
What makes this film interesting is its handling of the sensitive subject. This movie belongs to the slew of films released in Greece that deal with issues facing the young - there were movies about hooligans, police participation in drug trafficking, gangs and other topics- which had the aim of preventing the young spectators from engaging in criminal or dangerous activities. The moral family members try to shelter the innocent young teenager from crimes and drugs,but they come to contact with them, with often fatal circumstances. This element makes all these movies enlightening from a sociological perspective.
In conclusion, "Panikos sta sholeia", is a film that sheds light on the phenomenon of drug consumption among the young in Greece during the 80's. While lacking in good direction or inspiring acting, it offers a unique perspective in the issue of juvenile drug usage, and for this it is, at least, commendable.
