Dyskoloi apohairetismoi: O babas mou (2002)

In 1969 Athens, a 10 year old boy struggles to come to terms with the sudden death of his father.

Director:

Penny Panayotopoulou

Writers:

Jan Fleischer (screenplay analysis), Nikos Panayotopoulos

Stars:

Yorgos Karayannis, Stelios Mainas, Ioanna Tsirigouli

8 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yorgos Karayannis	...	Ilias Manolopoulos
Stelios Mainas	...	Hristos Manolopoulos
Ioanna Tsirigouli	...	Mother
Christos Stergioglou	...	Theodosis
Hristos Bouyotas	...	Aris Manolopoulos
Despo Diamantidou	...	Grandmother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Myrto Apostolidou	...	Nurse
Eftyhia Dedousi	...	Old Woman in Nursing Home
Dimitris Drosos	...	Car Buyer
Konstadinos Grammenos	...	Classmate
Dimitris Imellos	...	Teacher
Michalis Karatzas	...	Classmate
Marina Latzanaki	...	Classmate
Panagiotis Lykavgeris	...	School Visitor
Hippolyte Lykavieris	...	School Visitor

Storyline

Elias is a 10 year old boy living in Athens with his family in 1969 and has an interest in Jules Verne's stories and in astronomy. His father, with whom Elias has a strong relationship, is a travelling salesman and his absence affects the whole family. On the eve of his departure for a long business trip he promises his son that he'll be back in time to watch the moon landing on TV together, but he is killed in a car accident. While Elias' mother and his elder brother deal with the loss in their own way, Elias refuses to accept his father's death. He creates an imaginary world, in which his father is alive. He shares fictitious stories with his friends, he sends letters to his grandmother on behalf of his father and he dreams of places like he did with him. Elias' mother and his godfather, who do everything to bring him back to reality, take him to a summer house. On the night of the moon landing Elias meets his father in his own way and comes to terms with his loss.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | greece | athens | father's death | dead father | 

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Taglines:

There is nothing harder than 'forever'

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

Greece Germany

Language:

Greek

Release Date:

27 December 2002 (Greece)

Also Known As:

Hard Goodbyes: My Father

Company Credits

Production Co:

CL Productions, Eurimages Council of Europe, Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg (FBB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Avengers (1961)

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Soundtracks

Pou eisai agapi mou
Performed by Giorgos Katsaros & Giovana (II)

User Reviews

Okay, not great.

The film is about a young boy's progression to accept the death of his father.

I had a hard time believing the depth of their relationship, but maybe that's just me. I also found the boy pretty darn annoying and difficult.

Good points: some nice photography; sustainable plot; some likeable characters; some charming moments.

Bad points: a little slow; acting mediocre; unoriginal story; at times a little too unbelievable and overdramatic.

To sum, so/so. Slight recommendation.