It was just another day in May of 2020 at 09:30 when 34-year-old accountant Ionna Paliospirou parked her car and headed towards the elevator in the lobby that would take her up to her office in suburban Athens.
But it was no ordinary day as she was attacked by the elevator by a mentally disturbed women under the mistaken idea Ionna had stolen a man with whom she had sexual relations with. She was doused with two liters of sulfuric acid.
With her mask on throughout the extended interview Ionna tells her story and it is a chilling one to be attacked and disfigured by an assailant you never met. The attacker received a prison sentence of 15 years.
The surprise and shock, the realization her skin was burning, horrible pain and the injustice of it all. Remarkably during the on-screen interview there is no anger abut the attack and the emotional and psychological trauma inflicted including the pain and a feeling of being imprisoned by having to wear the mask for two years to promote healing.
It is not sheer unending negativity and anger that shines through in the documentary but the resilience to deal with the attack and its aftermath. It is remarkable that Ionna established a foundation to offer support and protection for burn victims. Support of her friends was essential in moving on with life and helping other burn victims to do the same. There may be a silver lining in a ferocious storm cloud.
There is an element of suspense in the documentary as we are presented with Ionna at the outset of the documentary and we only learn the story moving backwards in time with the incessant WHO and WHY dogging our mind. The WHO is a disturbing surprise and the WHY is mental illness of the WHO.
All of us have heard of acid attacks and shake our heads in disgust but the documentary traverses beyond our disgust and permits observation of its physical and psychological effect on the victim.
This Greek 25-minute short documentary is directed by Constantine Venetopoulos.
RKS 2025 Documentary Film Rating: 78/100.
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