Apoussies (1987)

Genres - Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Family Drama, Psychological Drama  |   Run Time - 110 min.  |   Countries - Greece  |  
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Review by Robert Firsching

Greek filmmaker Yiorgos Katakouzinos directed and co-wrote this stately but rather grating period piece reminiscent of the Merchant-Ivory productions of the time. Centering on the personal struggles of three sisters in a dysfunctional middle-class family in 1922, the film also manages to inject nascent feminism and a goodly amount of the overwrought histrionics which have hindered the acceptance of modern Greek drama in the international marketplace. When both of their parents die, the eldest sister (Themis Bazaka) attempts to find a replacement for their father, the middle one (Pemy Zouni) turns revolutionary and runs off with a military health officer (Nikitas Tsakiroglou), and the youngest (Katerina Sarri) wallows in the sort of indecisive angst which would embarrass Liv Ullmann. Like The Remains of the Day and Howard's End, the enjoyment to be derived from this film depends largely on the viewer's tolerance for the psychological ennui and internal struggles resulting from the social limitations of the time. Many will find it a crashing bore, but it has its moments and is an exceptionally fine-looking picture, nicely lensed by Tassos Alexakis.