Stratos

Yannis Economides's 2014 Greek film follows a man who has spent half his life in prison for a crime of passion committed at nineteen. Inside, the underworld boss Leonidas took him under his wing and saved his life during an attack; Stratos never forgot it. Now free, he works the night shift at a bakery and by day tries to repay that debt as a hired killer. Economides's manner is familiar here too: shouting, heavy profanity and absolute hopelessness. But Stratos is a silent character, and that sharpens the noise around him. Vangelis Mourikis's nearly expressionless performance forms the film's centre. Made during Greece's crisis years, it describes directly what economic collapse does to human relations. It screened in the main competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. Who it's for: viewers interested in Greek independent cinema and hopeless crime drama. Who it's not for: anyone uncomfortable with the density of violence, profanity and pessimism, or wanting a story with a hero.