Smyrni mou agapimeni

"Smyrna," "Smyrna, My Beloved," also known as "Smyrna, Agapimeni Mou" commemorates the 100th anniversary of the destruction of Smyrna.

A century after the catastrophe of Smyrna comes to life a moving drama about a Greek woman whose family diary recounts the 1922 burning of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna where Greeks, Armenians, Arabs, Jews, and Turks once lived together harmoniously.

The legendary actress Mimi Denissi is the creative force behind the masterpiece. The film is based on her play, which ran in Athens for an astonishing three seasons and was seen by more than one million viewers. She co-wrote the script and stars in the film.

As someone with roots from Smyrna, this movie shares so many common stories with those that my ancestors have passed down for generations about the atrocities that happened 100 year ago. The film was made with stunning imagery and remarkable historical accuracy.

I went to see Smyrna with great trepidation. I was worried I would get too upset. I did lose it. The movie evokes a time and place that pains me for all the hope that was Smyrna, and what the city could have become. The film is a reflection of an opportunity lost due to nationalistic and religious ideologies clashing with the lives of people, until these people were annihilated. The vision of a new Turkey did not include the storied inhabitants that were outside the mold Ataturk had cast.

All 4 of my grandparents were born in Asia Minor with 1000s year's history. All the bones of my ancestors are still there. Their bones nourish the food grown there. When you visit Turkey, in the countryside you will not see any graveyards with my family's names nor the churches where their sacraments were performed.

My father's family left Aidinio (now Aydin) thru Smyrna after my father's oldest brother, barely 18, was shot dead by regional irregulars.

I have heard and read my aunts and uncles stories and diaries. The movie is a faithful representation of the thoughts and events. My father's father was shot by the lead hand, who was Turkish, after he handed him the keys and asked him to take care of their orchard until they returned. Thankfully he lived. I know the plot is of a wealthy family from inside Smyrna, but the ethnic cleansing happened throughout Anatolia.

The port scenes made me cry because my aunt who was a toddler was lost over a gang plank and drowned in Smyrna harbor. The horrors of the port were nowhere as gruesome as what really took place.

After you see the movie, go out and learn for yourselves what took place. Although Ernest Hemingway was not present during the burning of Smyrna, he wrote for the Toronto Star and filed stories for the paper as many others have. As well as writing "On the Quai at Smyrna".

I want to thank the Producers of the movie for their courage and dedication to bringing this story forward and opening the eyes of some while others keep them tightly closed. Have no fear, open your eyes.

It's a good movie and worth a watch. Acting is ok. Shows violence and sexual scene. Highlights the tension between Greeks and Turks, and the unjust Turkish occupation of Smyrna, which eventually led to the city's destruction. After the Turkish army invades Smyrna, Greece, the Turkish army massacres countless Greek and Armenian residents making the rest refugees. A darker moment in history.

*Beware of the Turkish propaganda thriving in this comments section though. Sadly this always the case with any mention of Greek or Armenian.. Odd that Erdogan still uses this time frame as a reference and veiled threat towards Greeks and Armenians today. All I can say is you can't rewrite history, but we sure as heck can keep it there. No one wants this again in any direction.

Lots of claims of inaccuracies but it seems that those claims are wrong according to Wikipedia: Burning_of_Smyrna. Also, the claim they Smyrna was always Turkish is not true, it was founded by Ancient Greeks according to Wikipedia: Smyrna. The movie is worth watching in its own right without having to get into politics. The set is beautiful and the story compelling. The music and discussion at the end can be skipped. Some acting was not the best but overall it was good. The costumes were on par. It really captured what it was like to live there at that time. Yes, it was told from the Greek point of view but what do expect from a Greek movie.

This movie creates a lot of emotion. It kept us on our toes. It has an historical aspect to it from multiple points of view (English, Greek, American, Ottoman and Turkish), which the production does a great job of including. I am separating the Ottoman point of view from Turkish one, since Ottomans then included Greeks, Armenians, Turks, Kurds and Jews, and their point of view was completely different than all the rest as depicted in the movie (like Halil's dad and Dimitris' brother).

Nationalism is bad everywhere and atrocities did happen.

Acting was pretty good with the exception of Mimi Denisi whose acting towards the end was kind of flat.

This movie's narrative is similar to the stories my displaced grandparents would tell. My family even has the deeds of land from Smyrna. I would advise some history reading for the nationalist haters out there. A quick search would show Izmir's history. Izmir/Smyrna had a huge Greek population since its founding (2500 years ago) up to 1922. Please note to the Nationalists that this is a movie.