Making a film like this is easy to fail. But it doesn't. Because of the horrific truth it shows. Many of the aspects of this movie aren't made to entertain, but to inform. And the plain questions that never get answered by the authorities during this whole film can really bother the viewer. Gavras definitely picks sides with this one, despite what the whole creative team is saying, but there are undeniable truths to be received through this and facts that remain to be explained. As a movie, it tries to stay as plain and as simple even for a complicated matter like this. Varoufakis' effort to be shown as the good guy who always asked the right questions should be a bit toned down for this to work better as infotainment, but the facts already prove him right and this movie legit. The horror that people's lives depend on a non-existant, self-preserving organization that isn't created to benefit lives, but to preserve its non-existance is definitely disturbing.

Unfortunately, neither the directing nor the acting are very well done (except for Christos Loulis). Gavras has had far better moments than this. But all things considered this is a very important movie that definitely gets its message through. It definitely has an impact and that's what matters the most.

Just read the book (29 September 2020)

I guess for someone not close to the reality of the Greek drama the past years and especially to the events of the 2014-2017 window, this movie can be a gentle introduction, depicting the general feel. For someone that was close to this small part of history this movie can range from incomplete to boring.

Personally, having read and enjoyed the book it's based on, I wasn't satisfied. Of course, it's difficult to move from 800 pages to max 180 minutes but still. I felt that important parts were not explained, as if it was rushed. I would much highly prefer if this would be a mini-series documentary rather than a movie.

Regarding practical issues, it's one of the first Greek movies that used music IMO correctly. Many of the Greek acting crew were bad (sorry), but regarding the protagonist he was spot on. I haven't watched a Gavras film before and I think I like him. There were some cheesy parts though, like the final dance thing but now, after some time has passed, I think these cheesy parts age well in your memory of the film. At the time though they were cringy as hell, but maybe my sense of the film as described above played a role to that feeling too.

Bottom line, if you are really interested in this era, just read the book. This movie isn't informative enough, it's just a film.