Quiet Days in August

“Pantelis Voulgaris has turned out one of his best films” (David Stratton, Variety). Quiet Days in August is a moving, meditative drama interweaving three tales of love and loss set in Athens in August, a time when many flee the metropolis for the mountains or seaside. As the director puts it, “Only the lonely stay behind – and those who love the deserted city.” A retired seaman aids a recently widowed woman who has fainted in the subway, and unexpectedly finds new spark in his life. An elderly woman, living in isolation and lost in dreams of the past, befriends the young woman who is her new neighbour. A meek bank clerk receives, every day at 4:00 pm, an erotic phone call from an unknown woman. “A feather in the cap for Greek cinema . . . A gentle, touching and beautifully made film. Photography by Dinos Katsouridis is outstanding. . . There’s also a beautiful score by veteran Manos Hadjidakis” (Stratton). (Composer Hadjidakis is the subject of Voulgaris’s The Great Love Songs, also screening in this series.) “Voulgaris emerges with Quiet Days more fresh than ever, justifying the privilege position he holds in Greek cinema alongside Theo Angelopoulos” (London Film Festival). Colour, 35mm, in Greek with English subtitles. 108 mins.