Vangelis Seitanidis offers promising feature film
In his first full-length feature film, «Ghost of a Chance,» Vangelis Seitanidis has come under the spell of the casino, a world which he films with dexterity, proving his cinematic ability, as well as his good intentions. Yet the young film director is unable to maintain all of the movie’s well-structured elements through to the end, instead choosing the easy way out. The weakness here is the script, which is consumed by cliched dialogue; this ultimately impoverishes and weakens the entire film. The film’s lead character (portrayed by Aimilios Chilakis) is an “eternal” student of medicine who goes to the casino in the hope of making some money. At the casino, he is increasingly attracted to a young employee (Maria Solomou) whose father is also addicted to gambling; the two men become close. In the role of the father, Spyros Stavrinidis’s performance stands out for his development of a complete and entertaining character. (He was conferred the Best Supporting Actor Award at the National Film Awards). Meanwhile, the plot thickens as the young couple’s romance falls victim to illegal gambling schemes, only to resurface later on. The film’s outcome is predictable and its close alienates the viewer from the subject. Having seen the film, one is left with the powerful presence of a developing director who loves cinema and knows how to shoot scenes, but one who is unable to coherently build up the characters. Overall, Seitanidis delivers as a new up-and-coming director (He was awarded the corresponding prize at the national awards), yet ultimately fails as a screenwriter.
