45 minutes of conventional film making is followed by diffuse and scattered imagery desperately clinging to a wandering plot. Call it boring at that point or be generous and artsy or experimental which loses much of the audience. An audience does not necessarily want to be spoon fed but may wander lost in imagery and theatrical sophistry.
Luca (Yiannis Niarros) is an aspiring actor informed by a prestigious New York acting school he has been granted an audition for a method acting scholarship. He lives with his brother Aleko (Kostas Nikoulis) in an Athenian flat and both are grieving for the murder of their mother by their father.
Luca requires funds for travelling to his New York audition and Aleko dreams of opening a wine bar. They plan a heist of a sex club which goes awry as in the process of grabbing the bag of cash innocent bystander Ilias (Alexandros Chrysanthopoulos) is injured by a stray bullet. There is no cash in the bag.
Much of the soundtrack at this point is classic noir setting us up for a crime thriller which never develops. There is also in an almost propagandistic manner the Big Brotherian shrill if not semi-hysterical visual and audio clips of acting coach Stela Adler fuelling Luca’s erratic actions.
In a Crime and Punishment Raskolnikovian moment Luca visits Ilias in the hospital but is not recognized as both brothers were wearing masks during the heist. Luca and Ilia strike up a friendship that transcends class boundaries as Ilias is an idle member of the bourgeoisie whereas Luca is a garage mechanic.
Luca begins a series of role plays. As he simply can’t resist plying his method acting trade he plays various roles throughout the remainder of the film. What is reality and what is acting for Luca and for the viewer too? Deluded and psychotic Luca makes an excellent companion for the decadent Ilias as they spiral into increasingly eccentric and dangerous behaviour.
What barely cements the film is the brilliant performance of Yiannis Niarros with an ability and a presence that will transcend him into more commercial mainstream roles if of course that is the direction he wants to head into. John Wick’s long lost brother!
Directed by Antonis Tsonis.
RKS 2024 Film Rating 76/100.
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