The Cinematheque

“A profoundly moving work with a subtle political message to match its aesthetic accomplishments.”

Savina Petkova, Cineuropa

Writer-director Sofia Exarchou’s breakthrough second feature, an under-the-radar festival hit, explores the harsh labour conditions at an all-inclusive resort hotel on an unnamed Greek island. Kalia (Dimitra Vlagopoulou) is a singer-dancer-choreographer who leads a troupe of ​“animateurs”—entertainers—to cheer up older vacationers and get them moving both day and night. Mixing fiction and documentary techniques, Exarchou and cinematographer Monika Lenczewska bravely capture the various conditions of the resort, from the swimming pools and dining rooms to the shabby digs the entertainers inhabit. Vlagopoulou is mesmerizing as a woman in denial of the chasm between her dreams and the downward spiral of her daily life. The actor’s Locarno win for Best Performance was the first of numerous laurels for the film, including top prize at Thessaloniki and the Vanguard Award at VIFF.

In Greek, English, German, and Polish with English subtitles

“Vlagopoulou’s performance here is truly something to behold. She takes us through her character’s emotional peaks and troughs with raw intensity and naturalism … Exarchou proves that a film with a configuration as simple as this can reach a whole new dimension of emotional resonance.”

Marina Ashioti, Little White Lies