Au bout de la nuit

This movie is a fascinating portrayal of the "rembetika" clubs in the countryside of Greece. One of the best movies to come out of Greece in recent years, it showcases the dark side of life in some small, isolated towns during the harsh winter months. The soulful music, written by Stamatis Kraounakis, one of Greece's foremost artists, is another reason the movie is so good.

Afti I Nihta Meni is about the perennial pursue of our dreams and the imminent failure we are facing while on the road. The scenario is promising but the implementation fails. Sophomoric directing, unbelievable dialogues, lack of interaction and the artificially staged scenes estrange the audience. The poor sound quality doesn't help at all making this film realistic. The best part of it is that it jumps on the Thrace-is-cool bandwagon (a trend that was started by Ola Ine Dromos), showing us great landscapes and scenery. For you non-Greeks, Thrace is at the crossroads of East and West, bordering Bulgaria and Turkey. It is the most underdeveloped but perhaps also the most beautiful region of Greece. It definitely makes great cinema to present natural beauty along with poverty. The even better part is that it follows the provincial "dog clubs" depiction of Ola Ine Dromos, one of the most prominent expressions of decadence, now raised to cult status by urban Greeks. Athina Maximou is a visual pleasure, while Dimitra Pappiou (Athina's vocal replacement) tries desperately to be upgraded from the dog singer she actually is to a "serious" singer. About Stamatis Kraounakis and his "worship me" mentality, just a line from the film: Stella is asked about her repertoire and she answers that it is the late Manos Hadjidakis (a music icon in Greece) and ... Kraounakis! Now that's what I call modesty. Single-handedly the most annoying line in the whole movie.

I must admit that this film is one of the few or I might dare to say, the only Greek film which depicts in the most reliable way the harsh life at the night clubs of the Greek provinces. The movie presents some of the most crucial problems of our century such as easy and quick wealth, prostitution and the influx of immigrants. It focuses on the concerns of the young people of our time who feel hopeless and more alienated than ever before. Even though it is quite simple in its script it achieves to raise the interest of the viewer and even amuse him. The film is utterly realistic in every aspect and the performance of Nikos Kouris is absolutely stunning and thrilling. In addition the two leading actresses, Athena Maximou and Zoe Nalbanti having won the first and second acting awards respectively manage to give the viewer a sense of authenticity. Moreover the incredible soundtrack of the film with the song of the title by Stamatis Kraounakis makes it a movie to remember. The song itself has been a great hit among audiences with the amazing performance of Dimitra Papiou.All I all, I would say it has rightfully earned a place in the film industry.

This is my first review and I felt the need to write something about this disaster of a movie. I cannot believe the 10 star reviews. it is laughable! Yes there is some truth and underlying meaning regarding this cheap type of entertainment (Skiladika) BUT it is portrayed in the most stupid and shallow way possible. The acting is bad, scenario is super weak, it is so cliche and you have nothing to gain from this movie. Please do not waste your time watching this movie, instead go and watch Little England or something that actually celebrates the art of cinema instead of this cult tragedy.

In my previous comment, I wrote that the movie depicted rembetika clubs, but instead of "rembetika" I think the more appropriate word would have been "skiladika". Rembetika songs, which are like Greek blues, are very often sung by men and have become much more accepted as a legitimate music form. In skiladika clubs, however, women are the main attraction and usually its not for their extraordinary vocals.