Omiros

Having previously enjoyed Constantinos Giannaris's 'From The Edge Of The City', flawed though it was, I imagined this film might represent a coming to fruition of this director's potential.

Alas, this film fails on all fronts. Neither dramatic enough to constitute a drama nor thrilling enough to be considered a thriller, the pacing is lethargic and there's barely a soupçon of suspense throughout. Character development is limited, and, even where attempted, ultimately uninvolving. This is not helped by the director's tiresome insistence on casting Stathis Papadopoulos purely on the basis (it seems) that the actor is extremely buff. I don't know about you, but I often find it quite helpful if an actor can act.

The depiction of the racism and xenophobia that lurks beneath the surface of contemporary Greece is perhaps the most interesting aspect of a film that offers no other message and little by way of entertainment.