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Hard Goodbyes: My Father
Penny Panayotopoulou, Greece, 2002; 113 mins.
How appropriate that a story that
takes place in the shadow of the Apollo moon landing, is set in Athens, where
Apollo ruled as the god of knowledge and light. Yet this movie is set in
other shadows as well: stingily-lit compositions and a slowly unfolding
narrative may cause some to decide this film is too somber and dark; but if
those who open themselves up to this film will encounter its understated
power. The relationship between Christos and his younger son Elias is
reminiscent of Roberto Benigni and the child who played his son in Life Is
Beautiful: their exchanges are characterized by vivid storytelling, easy
communication, and joy. Not so the man's relationship with his older son,
Aris, or his wife: aloofness or open hostility is the rule there. When
Christos, a ne'r do well vacuum cleaner salesman, makes a rare appearance at
home, the boys block out the tension between their parents in their own
particular ways. When tragedy strikes, Elias is particularly affected, and
uses his rich powers of imagination to block out a painful reality by
spinning richly-detailed fantasies. Yet poetry is the lies that tell truth,
and the boy's imaginative impulse not only takes him to a new place of
maturity, but is the catalyst for personal breakthroughs by the others in his
life. As dense and disciplined as a well-crafted short story, with stray
lines of dialogue rooted deep in a history for which the screen action is
just the surface, Hard Goodbyes is a moving film that was featured last fall
in a National Public Radio report on the distributor's very personal campaign
to publicize an overlooked gem.
Hard Goodbyes: My Father
is part of "Lost Boys" track of the Featured Screenings program at Flickerings at Cornerstone Festival,
July 1-4, 2004.See complete Schedule
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