The Waiter

When you see a movie categorized as "arthouse", its best to stay away, That way, you won't be sorry to have wasted 1-3 hours of your time, watching some meaningless meanderings of people/places/situations, without any real idea of what is going on. Sure, in this "movie", there are some definite things, but what they have to do with each other and why things happen the way the "director" puts them in, is totally unknown.

The arthouse label seems to have been devised in order for piss takers to put nonsense together and to persuade the critics & the public (while chuckling under their breaths), that their movie is a cerebral exploration of %^$£@*{+!><:"{}£$%($£@.

Don't waste your time. Find a real movie to watch.

Director: best get another job, where you actually do something.

Maybe it is not my taste, but it was a waste of time. Almost nothing happens the whole movie. Very predictable. The plot was not that interesting. Except for the main actor that played well, the rest of the actors were just bad.

The waiter - well folks - that was me - waiting through endless twenty second pauses of nothing happening - waiting for somebody to say SOMETHING - waiting for any back story whatsoever - waiting for some explanation of the dynamics of the relationships - waiting to find out why any of these people tolerated each other - or even attracted each other. Waiting to find out what on earth the quarrelling couple in the restaurant had to do with anything - or why there was a long lingering shot of the male towards the end.

Waiting to find out why this film was ever made.

It had nothing to say and the end was totally predictable. I am sorry for the people who paid good money to view this in a cinema.

This film will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. I would say it falls under the Greek Weird Wave and people who admire Lanthimo's work will definitely enjoy watching it. The dialogues are short and weird, the sounds of the city and nature very vivid and heightened, and the movements of the protagonists almost do not represent typical behaviours. From a psychological point of view, it creates dilemmas around ethical behaviour and consequences of actions. I hold a lot of respect for Servetalis and Stankoglou, and their great acting is to recognise. The sceneries and depiction of Athens as a city will give a sense of loneliness and romanticism to people who are born and raised there (at least that's what happened to me, I admired my city through the director's lenses). The cinematography and direction is outstanding, definitely a director to follow. I hope we see more of his work soon, and how exciting he has opened that path for the Greek cinema.

This movie imay bore you to death if looking for daily dose of media painkillers. The story is plain. Acting is restrictive. Pace is slow.

This is a zen story in images. It will force you to face yourself. It will remind you about your quest. It offers you a way out without loosing your integrity.