“The Promotion” could only have been made by a film director about a film director who is himself!
It rolls along like a traditional film. In 1973 Nikos (Alexandros Logothetis) and his father Mr. Andrikos (Vasilis Kolovos) take the train from Athens to Thessaloniki. Mr. Andrikos wants to see where his son Nikos is living during his studies at The School of Mathematics in Thessaloniki. Nikos is too busy to show his father around despite his father’s offer to treat Nikos and his girlfriend to a dinner. Mr. Andrikos heads back to Athens on the train. Father spurned by a selfish son begets guilt on the son?
Fast forward to 2012 when Greece is beginning to feel the hot breath of German and French creditors otherwise known as the austerity and debt crisis. Nikos is regularly training to the School of Film at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki where he teaches film to receive a promotion to assistant professor commemorated by a swearing in ceremony. As Nikos’ son Theofilos is attending a party he shuns the invitation extended by his father Nikos to attend the swearing in ceremony and as a replacement Nikos picks up father Mr. Andrikos and off they train it to Thessaloniki. Interesting how Theofilos spurned his father Nikos as Nikos spurned his father in 1973.
On the train trip and in Thessaloniki regrets, pleasantries and anger flows back and forth between Nikos and Mr. Andrikos over their past interactions as parent and son. Nikos is bitter that his father Mr. Andrikos can’t extend pride about his film and teaching career.
As a backgrounder Albanians embarking from the Athens to Thessaloniki train are arrested by the police in an identity check, an Arabic taxi driver ejects them from the taxi as he does not want to be stuck in traffic and angry university students are bellowing with rage over the noose being placed on the neck of Greece by the Euro Troika including the terminations of university staff.
Nikos takes his father to his acting class and Mr. Andrikos complains about the filthy conditions at the university so Nikos cleans up a stall so Mr. Andrikos can pee in sanitary conditions. Students mock Mr. Andrikos when he lectures them about their selfish behaviour. Nikos lambasts his students about their treatment of his 80-year-old father. Students are furious with their professor Nikos and some boycott his class unless he shows solidarity with dismissed university workers and puts the garbage he collected back on the floor where it was collected from. The idiocy of youth? Yes, Nikos was a youth himself once upon a time in 1973.
At this point high end Euro film kicks in as Nikos brings his dad into his acting class and Fellini kicks in with a sort of “Cinema Paradiso” and “8 ½” twist. Yes, I’d like to advise you about how so weird and wonderful the fantasy of Mr. Andrikos is but will you shout like me, “NO” when it smacks you in the face. Is Nikos a Mr. Andrikos to his son Theofilos?
A reflection on the old guard Greece, a liberal reaction to it and the misery caused by that interaction. Yes I have been in the middle of Thessaloniki demonstrations against austerity measures. Loud yes but at least no bombs exploding around me like in the bad days of Belfast.
Directed by Periklis Chouroglou.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zbb4Is27Fs
Shows as a film in the Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada) showing in 11 Canadian cities 1-31October2024.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 86/100.
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