Maestro

Oh how we love to hate that we like Papakaliatis' work, well, at least partially. He most definitely isn't some inventive, original, break-through mastermind. However, I think he's a clever cinema lover with good taste and charm, who knows how to pick actors (and singers apparently -wow, just wow) and what it takes to create an engaging spectacle that appeals to the vast majority of the audience (possible haters who are in fact secret watchers included):

• A catchy story. A mixture of love -always forbidden, relevant/trendy social/political issues, lots of drama and a dose of humor to lighten things up.

• Beauty. From the astonishing female lead to the wonderful cinematography and meticulously chosen music, everybody and everything are beautiful, super clean and tidy, extremely detail oriented.

But apart from these elements that tick Papakaliatis' boxes and most importantly, Maestro offers top notch acting. Natural, simple and truthful acting, that makes you forget his occasional beloved weaknesses: the copied scenes/dialogues from other movies/series, the cringey lines, his favorite Woody Allenish monologues and dialogues, the stereotypes, the politically correct preaching, criticizing capitalism from a capitalistic point of view like talking to a 5 yo (no hints or meaningful scenes, just spoon fed ideology) and the fact that he cannot resist keeping the male leading role (always portraying the moody, nice, romantic, charismatic guy that all women fall for) for himself. I must say though, I found him to be much more mature and relaxed here, acting and directing wise. Bottom-line, I enjoyed Maestro. It's well deserved being on Netflix, it's a huge success and well done to everybody.

BRILLIANT! GENIUS! I WANT ALL SHADES OF BLUE AND COLORS FOR MAESTRO!

My first Greek series thanks to Netflix and what a delight!

All is perfect: acting, story lines, music, cinematography and scenery.

It is light and profound at the same time.

Very probable stories.

The Greeks have achieved a master piece and I can't wait to watch more.

Maybe a second season for Maestro, they left it open ended.

Or more movies and series from same team and actors.

I am in awe and speechless how they tackled so many issues with virtuoso and realism.

The acting was super from all: the younger cast, the oldest and even the despicable character.

DON'T MISS THAT GEM!

Unlike Papakaliatis early works, Maestro is a true gem. Without a doubt he has come a long way and has made great progress in film making. Above all, Maestro is a very good story told by real people who face every day problems and try to cope with them. Very important issues are raised such as domestic violence, racism and family matters that everyone could relate to, more or less. Moreover, the direction and cinematography of the series are brilliant. Another very big plus is the selection of music, which if i'm not mistaken is again Papakaliatis' job. In conclusion, i find Maestro to be one of the best greek tv series i've ever watched (well still do) and is the only one that makes me get emotional. Can't wait for the next episode and why not for a next season. So glad that it is airing soon on Netflix and it is going international. Cheers to the next one Christopher!

Great job from Christopher Papakaliatis! Maestro is a show about human relationships, difficult choices, boundaries and significant social issues like domestic violence. The story gets better and deeper as the episodes flaw. The characters are developed slowly and nicely as they face their everyday reality and struggles with their "demons".

The cast is truly amazing! What can I say about Maria Kavogianni??? She makes me cry with her performance sometimes.. For me her story is the most heartbreaking and touching..

The scenery is absolutely brilliant, as it takes place in a beautiful Greek island full of blue and green! The style is vintage and the music background fits nicely.

This mini-series really worths a try!!

Finally, the Greek television comes back with a high quality series; on direction, cinematography, script and music. Beautiful scenery in the islands of Paxoi and Corfu, fantastic music in the background and well thought-through dialogue depicting the, unfortunately, hard-to-face truth about remote Greek communities.

The series will offer an opportunity through Netflix for people abroad to watch outstanding Greek actors, such as Kavogianni, Mouratidis and Tsortekis, as well as musician Alexiou. Papakaliatis invites dialogue on deeply rooted patriarchy, domestic abuse, homophobia and political agendas. However, also highlights the beauty of the Greek culture; the generosity, community, cultural appreciation and history, strong family unity and what is widely known as "filotimo".

Overall, the show is at a similar level of production as series that come from other countries. It is worth your attention and I highly recommend. On a plus side, it will probably convince you - if you are still considering - to visit Greece.