Xenia

It’s a long and uneven road for this amiable but insubstantial story about two brothers journeying through Greece to find the father who abandoned them as infants. Motivated in his quest by the death of his mother, the younger boy Dany (Kostas Nikouli) has his own emotional problems which prevent him from making the necessary transition from child to adult, despite his otherwise confident air as a young gay man. The film explores these insecurities through his pet rabbit Dido and some well delineated fantasy sequences, some of which involve a larger than life stuffed rabbit. The film also tips its hat to Eurovision and the older brother Odysseas (Nikos Gelia) is presented as a really good singer looking to enter a popular talent contest en-route. One particular episode, no doubt aimed at the gay market, shows the brothers singing and dancing in their underwear. This sequence of high camp is too meticulously choreographed to integrate believably here despite the flamboyance of the lead character or the fun it otherwise produces. Political issues, such as the financial crisis in Greece and the immigration problem are also convincingly touched upon. Ultimately, the film is not unlikeable, but it is seriously overlong by at least half an hour for its slim storyline. The climatic meeting with the father is actually very good and creates some tension, as is an earlier meeting with bullies. This sequence results in one of the attackers being shot with the gun that Dany misguidedly carries around with him. The lovely musical accompaniment, often played on acoustic guitar, is reminiscent of some themes from ‘Brokeback Mountain’.