Monday

Mickey and Chloe meet at a party in Athens and wake up naked on a beach in the morning. Both are in their mid-thirties, both American, and neither can explain to themselves why they are in Greece. Chloe's flight home is near. She decides not to take it. The film is not about the start of a relationship but about what is left once the holiday feeling wears off. Mickey plays records and earns nothing; Chloe has given up practising law; both have lives that only work while they are together. Each section starts on a Sunday morning, and Monday is always left outside the frame. Argyris Papadimitropoulos directed and co-wrote with Rob Hayes. Sebastian Stan plays Mickey and Denise Gough plays Chloe. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 11 September 2020 and was released in the United States by IFC Films on 16 April 2021. Athens here is not a postcard: hot, loud and untidy, and the film moves the same way. Who it is for: anyone who likes realistic relationship films and stories whose characters are not likeable. Who it is not for: anyone expecting sympathy. Both remain irresponsible to the end, the film does not criticise it, and the last section repeats itself.