Attenberg (2010)

Stuck in her boring factory town, twenty-three-year-old Marina is at the mercy of both her father's impending death and her distaste for other humans.

Director:

Athina Rachel Tsangari

Writer:

Athina Rachel Tsangari

Stars:

Ariane Labed, Vangelis Mourikis, Evangelia Randou

9 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ariane Labed	...	Marina
Vangelis Mourikis	...	Spyros
Evangelia Randou	...	Bella
Yorgos Lanthimos	...	The Engineer
Alexandros Niagos	...	Bella's Boyfriend
Fidelis Attame	...	Forklift Driver
Kostas Berikopoulos	...	Funeral Home Employee
Antonis Nousaharlis	...	Forklift Driver
Michel Dimopoulos	...	Hospital Manager
Spyros Tsakiris	...	Forklift Driver
Giorgos Theoharis	...	Factory Guard
Stathis Tsiapas	...	Canteen Worker
Dimitris Anastasiou	...	Boy by Tennis Court
Stathis Androutsos	...	Boy by Tennis Court
Stefanos Douvoris	...	Boy by Tennis Court

Storyline

Marina, 23, is growing up with her architect father in a prototype factory town by the sea. Finding the human species strange and repellent, she keeps her distance from it. Instead she observes it through the songs of Alan Vega's Suicide, the mammal documentaries of Sir David Attenborough, and the sexual education lesson she receives from her only friend, Bella. A stranger comes to town and challenges her to a foosball duel, on her own table. Her father meanwhile is preparing for his exit from the 20th century, which he considers to be 'overrated'. Caught between the two men and her collaborator Bella, Marina investigates the wondrous mystery of the human fauna.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | foosball | death | architect | sexual awakening | 

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Taglines:

Sexy, strange and beautifully deranged.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

M/16

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Greece

Language:

Greek English French

Release Date:

26 January 2012 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Attenberg

Filming Locations:

Aspra Spitia, Viotia, Greece

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,998, 11 March 2012

Gross USA:

$24,036

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$69,961

Company Credits

Production Co:

Haos Film, Greek Film Center, Faliro House Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 95 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marina watches a documentary in which David Attenborough gets close to a gorilla in the jungle.

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Connections

Features The Trials of Life (1990)

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Soundtracks

Tous les garçons et les filles
Performed by Françoise Hardy
Lyrics by Françoise Hardy
Music by Françoise Hardy and Roger Samyn
Published by Editions Musicales Alpha ©1962
Mastered by Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

How does one come of age in a bleak world?

Athina Rachel Tsangari's "Attenberg" doesn't present the most positive image of Greece. The focus is a pair of friends in a mining town. The main girl is watching her father die, and her only real pleasure is watching David Attenborough's wildlife documentaries, in addition to the sex education given to her by her friend.

The movie itself was pretty slow and seemed to have little other purpose except to show these girls in a grim existence. But at the same time it gives one a sense of life in the Hellenic Republic. Once the land that gave the world philosophy, it's now the Third World of Europe. The historic sites are surrounded by crumbling sidewalks and people missing teeth. It's no accident that Greece has been probably the single country most affected by Europe's economic mess. As the main girl's father puts it: "We went from sheep to bulldozers."

Anyway, it's not any kind of great movie, but it does give one an idea of the status quo in Greece.