“Akouse me” is a voyage into cruelty, turmoil, tragedy, suffering, bullying and a small measure of redemption.
Valmira (Efthalia Papacosta) is a 16-year-old girl attending a progressive school for the deaf in Athens. As the term ends she returns to a small village Katarrakis on the island of Chios in the Eastern Aegean to the home of her father Stamos (Yorgos Pirpassopoulos) where her step brother Aris (Dimitris Kitsos) and stepmother Tania also live.
Stamos had lost his wife and was so depressed Valmira lived with her grandmother but as grandmother died she returns to Chios. Tania, a Bulgarian woman who has lost her husband, is living with Stamos. Her son Aris is also living with Tania and Stamos.
Aris has been placed on probation at his school for vandalism and insulting the school’s director. One more transgression and he is out!
Valmira and Aris attend the local school while Stamos prepares to pay the upcoming semester’s tuition for the school of the deaf in Athens.
Aris and Valmira suffer the worst form of abuse, mockery and derision at the school for Aris’ Bulgarian ancestry and Valmira’s deafness. 16-year-olds can be incredibly vicious and they are led by Marios (Nikos Koukas) a poster for viciousness. He said to his classmates while bullying Aris if you are not a Greek you are a barbarian! Aris and Valmira must listen and endure the steam of invective.
Valmira had received a hearing aid from her grandmother but is reluctant to use it despite school administrators and friends pressuring her to do so. Given the abuse she suffers at school with Aris perhaps it is better she does not listen but her refusal obfuscates reality and on occasion she uses the hearing aid but what she listens to may be best not heard.
Although Stamos is a long-time resident of the village there are snickers about his deaf daughter and Bulgarian wife. Many of the older generation of Greeks have suspicions about Bulgarians and Albanians. When their communist regimes crumbled many fled (often illegally) to Greece.
Stamos does not have the money to pay the upcoming term’s tuition for the Athenian school For the deaf and his failure to pay by the deadline deprives Valmira of her place at the school and a dance opportunity with a theatre in Athens.
Bully Marios and Valmira form a relationship and Aris ,enraged by this, confronts Marios and slugs him in front of Valmira sending him to the hospital. Valmira makes a statement that Aris had threatened to kill Marios but how could she have heard that as she was not wearing her hearing aid. A snitch and a traitor!
A torrent of anger and frustration ensue. The entire family is furious with other family members for a variety of reasons. And to top it off Aris’ octopus has escaped!
As Aris is about to be expelled for slugging Marios and putting him into the hospital nasty Marios, facing his own crisis, redeems himself sparking a bit of school administration corruption. The great moral powers dictating the fate of Aris are immoral and corrupt.
With all the negativity encountered there is a somewhat non depressive ending. Perhaps if all the characters had truly listened to each other all the turmoil could have been avoided.
Valmira has most likely decided listening as opposed to signage enables her to more fully understand the world around her.
Directed by Maria Douza.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 86/100.
You can see the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsDZbrxwf9U
For screening information and details for GIFFT check out https:/gift.ca
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 