When friendships are tested
Sotiris Goritsas has enjoyed a steady presence in Greek cinema ever since the 1990s, when he made his debut with «From the Snow,» a film that heralded a new era in a local industry that seemed stagnant. Goritsas has a knack for turning his lens quickly, with well-honed reflexes, onto the social issues of each period he addresses: The first wave of Albanian migrants coming into Greece after a long journey («From the Snow»); the box-office hit «Balkanizater,» which was based on the modern Greek dream of running a scam to hit the jackpot; and «Brasileiro,» a comedy about two European Union inspectors arriving at a small Greek village to examine wht their funds have been spent on. Goritsas gradually revealed a sense of melancholy over the course of his career, and this is apparent in his latest film, «Friends,» which opened at theaters last week. The film paints a very vivid and cynical mural of modern society as a backdrop to a murder. How big a dose of sarcasm is there in the title, «Friends»? Friction, problems and disappointments are inevitable over the course of any relationship, be it erotic or friendly. I’ve never met a perfect couple. Contrasts in a relationship are normal, and to me they are a sign that it is still alive. I am more worried about peace and quiet than friction. So I don’t see anything sarcastic about the title. The film looks at different groups of friends, all of whom have certain knots they must untie in order to move forward. Is that how friendships are? Constructed on secrets and lies? They are arbitrary constructions that build themselves on anything they can find. Even secrets and lies. Nothing can be built in clinical conditions. We are exposed to everything life brings us and it is always unpredictable. Individual friendships, groups of friends, couples and families are core groups trying to move along together in life. There are successes and celebrations, but also major mishaps. That is why I am interested in them. Therefore, the question is not whether there are secrets and lies, but how able we are to deal with them. Are we, for example, willing to give up something that is ours in the pursuit of truth and freedom? Does the dead body have some symbolic significance? We all have to face loss by death at many different points in our lives, and I don’t just mean physical death. Indifference, routine and egoism are all the symptoms of small deaths that have amassed within us. As in the film, some people simply prefer not to see them. It is lovely to say that there is no problem and to move on. Others, however, do see the «corpse.» They acknowledge it, and that’s when the real struggle begins. Why did you chose Pelion as your location? I have spent several Easters there myself and it is a very familiar place. It is perfect for such an adventure. It is so quiet and tidy; like the lives of so many people. I like that a dangerous and unexpected event bursts into this serenity. It also occurs in such an idyllic setting: blooming flowers, springtime. It is a contrast which attracts, though I can’t explain why. How far are you from the society you portray in the film? I am never one guy or another in any of my films. I hope that I am a part of all of the characters. Anyway, I never create characters I don’t know well. I feel that everyone is right in some small way. It’s just that in Greece, where we haven’t got a tradition of working things out with dialogue, each character is swept away by his own problem and cannot see the problems of others. He is there, holding his ground, screaming about what’s his. What we have today is the result of this mentality. Then you get the priests, the judges, the societal «guides» who use laws, ideologies and religions to mete out punishment to one person or another. I don’t care for all that. I don’t want to gain any distance from my characters. On the contrary, I want to identify with them and to understand where each one is right. In «From the Snow» and «Balkanizater,» you appeared more certain of the world you were describing. You seem to have lost that certainty since «Brasileiro.» To complete a film in Greece these past few years and to deal with all the difficulties that arise takes certainty, faith and the determination of Tamerlane. Nevertheless, I must say that I am glad to have lost my old certainties. Obviously I have replaced them with new ones, and I can’t wait until I replace those too. «Friends» stars Ieroklis Michailidis, Maria Protopappa, Vangelis Mourikis, Lena Kitsopoulou, Errikos Litsis and Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos. It is written and directed by Sotiris Goritsas.
