emilywes56 I saw Dead Europe today. I had seen the trailer by coincidence and I found it interesting enough since I follow the things going on in Europe and especially in Greece (I'm Greek). Also I was very curious to see the point of view from an Australian/German/Jewish director for the state of things here, since Australia is so far away. For me the movie is 10/10. In the beginning I had my doubts about the plot and the connection director had made between the story of the main character which seems to be a reference to the Greek cultural traditions and the myths (villages, well-hidden secrets, family relationships etc.) and the economical and political crisis. I expected it to be much less than what it actually is. It is a very serious, important and true movie.

minch007 (only contains spoilers of a general kind)Disturbing, intense and creepy, this film at one level is a fairly straightforward story of a man who travels to his father's homeland and discovers the skeletons in the closet. Ewen Leslie as the haunted son Isaac seeking to lay the ghost of his dad Vasili in the mountains of Greece, Martin Csokas as his corrupted brother Nico and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the face of all refugee boys everywhere all do a fine job, the cinematography, score and directing work together well to create a menacing and disorienting view of the seedier side of Europe. At another level, this film explores the moral complexities of the refugee crisis. The curse that seems to follow Vasili's family can be interpreted as the guilt that lurks behind every decision to turn your back on another human being in desperate straits. And how easy it is to do that, given their overwhelming need, their anonymity, their foreignness, and the sometimes bald ugliness of their desperation. This film takes you unflinchingly into the heart of this "blackness" that consumed the soul of Vasili and eventually his sons, it slaps you unapologetically in the face with it. Vasili himself is a refugee, fleeing the devastation of post war Greece to Australia. Perhaps there's no guilt like that of a refugee who has left others to perish. There's no light at the end of this film, which I think is particularly fitting because there is no easy answer to the desperation of the millions fleeing to Europe and scraping an existence in the decrepit slums and alleys of the grand old cities. Just as it has for thousands of years, the situation fosters prejudice, exploitation and cruelty on all sides. You will appreciate this film, if not enjoy it, if you are interested in what is, and always has been, one of the greatest social, moral and even spiritual challenges to the illusions of our comfortable and sheltered lives.

r-finnemore This film was a big disappointing treatment of the book of the same title. Dead Europe was a bleak, dense novel, almost hallucinogenic, but quite compelling. You were never quite sure whether to believe any of it, or where it's narrative was taking you (including some unpleasant areas of life). I guess I had hoped that the film might make some things clearer. However the film over-simplified the narrative, making it harder for the viewer to link the episodes, as well as robbing the characters of their motivations. One central episode of how the Jewish refugee, Elias, was betrayed and left to die by the protagonist's father (thereby originating the inherited curse) was merely told rather than shown. Perhaps the film's budget ran out? I have no complaint about the filming or acting.

ffuuut One of two Australian made films I saw at the Sydney Film Festival, both of which were set in Europe. Ewan Leslie was very good in the lead role as was Marton Csokas in a minor role late in the film, but the same can not be said for the actress who played the main characters mother. She seemed very poorly cast (age wise) and did not give a very consistent performance, as scenes with her felt very uneven.The film was shot well and in places not often seen in predominately English language films and the first half really set up the mystery and thriller like aspect, but it was let down badly by a very poor last third as it fell into an incoherent confusing mess, but maybe that was intentional as the character fell into that cycle himself.It was just very meh.