Under international law Greece and all other countries having “asylum seekers” land on their shores must offer basic assistance until asylum proceedings have been completed. The cost simply can’t be deported away as deportation is not a legal option. The numbers are so staggering that Italy has outsourced migrant housing and administration to Albania!
Are the masses arriving in Greece truly refugees or are they economic migrants looking for work further north in Germany the land of milk and honey? My impression from visiting the site of a migrant camp on a Greek Aegean island is “asylum seekers” are young men looking for work in countries north of Greece and Greece is but a stepping stone due to many of its islands being proximate to the Turkish mainland and their flow assists Turkey in destabilizing Greece. Hence we are looking at an economic migrant more than a true refugee exodus.
Migrants landing in Greece receive an EU allowance, medical care and food much to the dismay of many Greeks economically struggling to make a living. There are extremes of dislike in Greece but there are moderates too.
In “Utopolis” Yiannis (Makis Papadimitriou) is a fiftyish struggling shop owner selling basic foodstuffs feeling the pain of the surge of organic food products that threaten his business. He despises migrants thinking they are thieves and a drain on the finances of Greece. Women in skimpy clothes are “asking for it.” Liberalism is a corruptive force for Yiannis.
Malls and influencers are the corruptors of Greek youth. He feels that he and decent Greeks are swept up in a wave of corrupting modernization. He is full of hatred and vitriol for all that runs contrary to his conservative if not totalitarian values.
Sam (Peter Okechkwu) is a hard-working African immigrant working at the mall construction project Utopolis. Supported by his manager he is encouraged to improve his Greek language skills and then be given more responsibility. He also works as a mechanic at a garage in the evening to supplement his income so he can pay for his education to further his life. His Russian immigrant friend Tibor (Goran Bogdan) also works at the garage.
Yiannis volunteers at a neighbourhood watch group to promote a safe neighbourhood and for 5 years has been patrolling the neighborhood. He is joined by a first timer on a nightly patrol, Sotiris (Andreas Konstantinou) who is clearly perturbed by Yiannis’ actions and ideological rants. He watches Yiannis harass and threaten a group of young immigrants peacefully talking on the streets who he admits are committing no wrong but must have it in their mind that “we” are watching them. Yiannis is looking for trouble more than attempting to prevent it.
Tibor leaves the garage promising to meet Sam later for a drink at a taverna. Yiannis and Sotiris stop for a coffee at a mobile canteen where Yiannis yet again asks owner Sofia for a date and she politely raises excuses. Sofia’s employee pleads with Yiannis to stop harassing Sofia. Just then Tibor appears arranging a date with Sofia. Yiannis overhears this and pulling out a gun from his glove compartment and in a rage hunts down this ‘illegal”. Sotiris had accidentally discovered the pistol and in disgust drove off.
What follows is pure hatred and a horrible gruesome tragedy where Tibor explains his past and how Greece offered him an escape and a chance to rebuild his life. Yiannis explains the core of his hatred. Both men have excuses for killing each other but fate horrifically intervenes.
A study in intolerance based on personal reasons and not logic. A glimpse at Greek minority extremism but moderation as well. There is no doubt Greece has a migrant issue and the futility of hatred as its solution.
Papadimitriou’s versatility as an exceptional actor is yet again on display. The theme of xenophobia is not new but here it is very clearly established with a masterful Greek stroke.
You can watch the trailer here https://www.filmfestival.gr/en/movie-tiff/movie/15848
The Director is Vladimir Subotic.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 87/100.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 