One of the best Greek comedies ever, this film is a silent satire of the modern Greek reality; that of a forgotten political passion, eternal struggle for gaining and lack of self-criticism.
True to their identity, the heroes of this film, men, relatives, passionate, are a microcosm of a whole nation, which always complains, always falls in love and always tries to make the most out of every situation. Moral when it serves them, ideologists when they are allowed to be, are "always right", always victims and always do what they want in the end.
The dynamic confrontation of Panos and Antonis (played by an established artistic pair, with natural chemistry) takes this film away from the typical atmosphere of a Tsiolis work, making it more oral and approachable by the wider public. Yet, it functions perfectly as a representation of two typical characters of Greek life.
Argiris Bakirtzis, the standard protagonist of the directors latest and best films, functions here as a balance factor, that only displays any personality "between the lines" covering the final third of the national character pool. Now the representation of the modern Greek man is complete! Women are almost absent in this film although men always appear under their influence. A superficial influence that even in the form of a marriage or mad love, play a second role in the eyes of these modern men. Women don't need to talk much here. Maybe because men don't listen anyway.
Tsioli's direction is as always more optical than integral. What people say is of little importance anyway, since it only serves them as a mask of sound to cover what they really are, and you can always see it in their actions, that never lie. The characters here talk a lot more than in other of his films, mostly because they are by nature big mouths. But the story again really takes place in their movements. Movements sometimes picturesque and stylistic, that reaches the level of pantomime.
Still, the comedy works really well, making it by far the funniest film of the director and one of the funniest Greek comedies ever. Yet, again a difficult one, for a non-Greek to appreciate, with all these inside jokes.
