Digger

Georgis Grigorakis's 2021 Greek film follows Johnny visiting his father after twenty years and Nikitas, living alone in his cabin in the woods. The father does not speak; but the mining company arriving in the area puts them both on the same side. The idea is that land is both an inheritance and a question of ownership: the father wants to give his son nothing, and does not want to give up the land either. Grigorakis builds the film out of mud, rain and the sound of heavy machinery; the forest is not a landscape but a place of work. Vangelis Mourikis's performance is almost wordless. The pace is slow and the ending left open. Who it's for: viewers who like Greek independent cinema and stories of fathers and sons. Who it's not for: anyone wanting incident, or who will find a heavy pace wearing.