For all its authentic and gorgeous presentation, this rumination on how the family life of two people gets annihilated by the historic events doesn't really grip me with its choice of storytelling. Maybe it's because I can't say anything about Alexis beyond that he is playing accordion? But at least that is far more than I can say about Eleni in comparison. Perhaps it's the inconsistent pacing that melancholically drifts along, showing the pair adapting and surviving. And then, whoosh, WW2 ends almost as soon as it began. Whoosh, it's a civil war, and the husband and kids are dead. These impromptu jumps do not help with immersion of any kind.
It was always supposed to be a trilogy, but I fail to see for what purpose the supposed tragedy of Greek people who during WW2 were at war with themselves more than with the axis is just over and done with in 20 minutes in an almost 3-hour movie.
It is enjoyable to watch, and as I said, the composition is just stellar. The flooded village is an image that will stay with you for a long time, but other than that and the soundtrack, there is nothing to grab me because the stylistic aloofness among the characters is just something I can't stand.
It was always supposed to be a trilogy, but I fail to see for what purpose the supposed tragedy of Greek people who during WW2 were at war with themselves more than with the axis is just over and done with in 20 minutes in an almost 3-hour movie.
It is enjoyable to watch, and as I said, the composition is just stellar. The flooded village is an image that will stay with you for a long time, but other than that and the soundtrack, there is nothing to grab me because the stylistic aloofness among the characters is just something I can't stand.