Feature – Greece / UK Première

Showing @ Cineworld 8, Wed 27 Jun @ 18.00 & Cineworld 12, Sat Jun 30 @ 16.00

Filippos Tsitos / Greece / 2011 / 107 min

Last week Greece elected a pro-austerity party in the hope of patching up its failing economy and the unravelling Eurozone. But given that the world’s financial crisis was caused by a few very rich individuals dabbling in sub-prime loans, speculation and default swaps, doesn’t this seem just a tad unjust? Unfair World stars Antonis Kafetzopoulos as Sotiris, a lifelong policeman who has always endeavoured to be ‘fair’ in his work. However, when the pursuit of justice puts him in the position of the defendant, it is he that must rely on the honesty of others.

The film effectively portrays the reality of austerity Greece, with a tangible exhaustion in both its aesthetic and performances. Kafetzopoulos in particular plays his character with a stalwart dignity, embodying the downtrodden yet stoic attitude of the many in his position. The delicate moments of symbolism, along with the open admission that money often means more than life, create a forlorn and painfully accurate image of the world. Yet despite this, there is no discussion about why the society is in the state it is – it’s simply accepted like some cosmically determined fact. And strangely, this is the effect it has on the audience; no anger or desire for change, just the doleful admission that it is undeniably an unfair world.