Insalata greca

Sometimes funny, but often dramatic. The director follows in the footsteps of his old famous films. It can be called the younger version of L' Auberge Espagnole. But how many times can you bathe in the same water? The subject and the flow are clear. There is no surprise. Young players are very successful. But most of all, Yellowstone's Kelly Reiley lights up the screen.

Good to see Athens. But Athens would not be so squalid and ugly. Immigration policies seem like a piece of sauce on the show. The dressing on the Greek salad. You can watch it if you have free time.

It is one of the remarkable international works that Amazon Prime has done recently.

Tom (Aliocha Schneider), an aspiring company maker, moves to Athens after inheriting from his late grandfather a run down building in Athens. He finds his sister (Megan Northam) and they wind up in crazy adventures and meet their best friends and mates for life.

A bold move to make a TV Series in a city that isn't much functional, Greek Salad takes on many political matters and presents them along with the two main character's main or sub-storylines. Alas, it was made possible.

Tom is a changed man by the end of this limited series and that might very well be the best part of the series. This character has undergone the most character development and delivered.

His sister Mia has as well changed but she stays the same person, more or less. Her character is the one to more likely outburst in tears or anger and it is justified as to why she feels like this.

At the start of the series the two have similar but at the same time different goals and outlooks in life. As their bond grows, so will their way thinking and living will as well.

The city of Athens is starting to open its gates to foreigners and shows its beauty and ugliness (no pun intended).

The political elements in this series are apparent. The story lies heavily on the inflow of refugees Athens has gotten over the past ten years and the need for them to be reinbursed and aided. It doesn't enter WOKE territory much but it could very well be considered a WOKE series at first glance. But that is indeed a trap that many viewers will utmost fall into when watching it. And that is intentional.

The godawful accent and interpretation of many greek actors that participate in this series is sometimes hard to watch. The best players on the field were the two main actors and almost everyone else, apart from the greeks.

Overall, at first glance many viewers will be appalled by this series. But later on they will be drawn into the world of two people that want to find their place in this messed up world. And much like their audience, so will they find much more than they hoped to find and aim for.

I was a fan of the original film and subsequent sequels that followed. A great trilogy.

When this series was announced, I had mixed feelings, but I didn't enjoy the New York City setting of the third film, so I was glad we could see what happened afterwards.

I was pleasantly surprised with a strong 8 episodes tackling the immigration crisis in Europe and how it has affected the world in general, even today in 2024 we are still being polarized over mass migration and I think Klapisch did a great job handling the topic in a more human and personal way. The new characters, headed by the children of Xavier and Wendy was great, and showing us Isabelle still with her new wife as well as Tobias making a comeback was great for the nostalgic feels for us fans of the series. Athens as the chosen city was a big win for me. Hopefully we get a sequel, maybe in Mexico City where "gentrification" from developed countries has been causing conflicts, especially with a polarizing president that they have today, a migrant crisis from central and South America, rich getting richer and poor getting way poorer in this megalopolis, or maybe in Brazil (even though this would be too cliche) or Thailand or Bali where there are many cultures also mixing into one entity. I really hope they continue with the children of Xavier and Wendy and that we get to see Martina and her family in the future as well!

But this one has many ingredients whereas a Greek salad is often tomato feta olives raw onion lettuce etc .... here we have many more ingredients Refugees Asylum-seekers family secrets Erasmus students EU youth Trans issues Me-Too MDMA ..... basically we have a 360° extended snapshot of 20-somethings in 2023

It seems nothing has been left out ... the lingua franca is English but then we hear a lot of other languages and that is very well-done

The acting from all of the main players is totally excellent. Never bored never boring just a tad ham-fisted at times with the kaleidoscope of themes and "issues"

I saw Romain (that smile) Duris was in the cast and that almost stopped me from watching it. But he was just peripheral here ....

It is really about EU Youth educated student folks and tangentially about refugees plight

Excellently made. The Greeks here are a tad caricatural but Athens looks really good here; a tad shredded but stylish.

"I live in the ceter of Athens, and I have to say that Athens is not like that." That was my first thought.

When I first watched the series, something inside me felt offended by the way it depicted Athens as a city full of graffiti-covered and derelict buildings. I thought, "No way, I've been living in the center of Athens for ten years, and okay, it's messy and dirty, but this is over the top." It felt exaggerated. However, after watching the series, I really started paying attention to Athens, and I honestly couldn't unsee it anymore. I realized that before the series, I was so accustomed to what I was seeing that I didn't actually see it. So, yes, in the end, Athens is exactly that-a city where graffiti is its defining characteristic

Despite my initial frustration with the first episode, I ended up watching it all, and as far as the themes it deals with, I really liked it. At first, I thought it would be a comedy, but I would classify it as a drama series with strong social content. It was very moving. I also liked the development of the characters and their relationships with each other.

Watching it, I got over my initial reaction that, okay, it's not that messy, although it still bothered me a little but in the end I realized Athens I is exactly like that , it was worth it."