Salada Grega

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!

I actually enjoyed watching the series. Great characters, perfectly cast, well-written, funny, charming, dramatic, tragic, some nice twists - all the elements of good storytelling. The sister / brother relationship feels real and their immediate family members are sympathetic, and as a viewer, you want them to adopt you! The main characters are lovable, relatable, and BIPOC is beautifully handled. You're actually rooting for them as they transition from young adulthood to the next phases of their lives, much like their backdrop -- the city of Athens, as it currently navigates its own transformation. Simple, sweet, wonderful.

However, the main Greek characters are: a rapist, hopeless cops, two caricature lawyers, an elderly cafe owner who masquerades as ancient Greek philosophers (in Tom's daydreams), and two dull NGO workers. Huh? Why do all the foreign characters experience their "hero's journey" in Greece (the actual land of the hero's journey), but not the Greek characters? What a missed opportunity!

"GREEK SALAD" is a typical foreign / negative appropriation of Greece and its culture. I'm tiring of seeing others using the Greek shine for their own purposes, while de-basing the Greeks. What do the creators have to say about this?

"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."

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.

As a Greek citizen I must say that was a great work from almost all the aspects. It's not a crime serie or a mystery one, so you don't need to wait for any plot twist or a big reveal. The serie shows its identity from the very beginning. It's about friendship, love, concern and life. During the journey of the serie you are able to pass through many different lives and cultures. Until a point I can feel the serie since I'm also a foreign to another country and have seen and experience many similar situations, but not at the same level ofc.

As a greek I can confirm that the serie shows us many stereotypic characters or even circumstances but that doesn't mean that all are wrong, exacerbated I would say. I'm not mad about it, I have seen hundreds of French and Italian movies and I know that it's something ordinary for them and they even use it for their own cultures as well. I'm gonna repeat myself, the serie doesn't lie, but doesn't show us the other side of the coin too. Same thing with the locations that they decide to show us. Athens besides the graphite and the abandoned buildings it also has other amazing locations, that gives another atmosphere to the whole city.

Personally I loved it for its mini stories of its characters, the drama and power for life that they gave us. I believe that it's a serie that has to be recommended from schools so the students learn more about the value of a human life and that respect is the definition that all of us need to have in our dictionary.