Three suggestions for theatre, cinema and ERTFLIX 2024-04-23 01:40:34

THEATER

A courageous Emma Bovary

Peggy Trikalioti as Emma

“Madame Bovary” my mother used to call me humorously when I started to like “lousas” in my pre-adolescence. I had no idea who the lady was, nor had I ever read Gustave Flaubert’s novel, but she was imprinted in my mind as an example to avoid: a vainglorious, vain, fanciful little woman. When I saw the show of the same name at the Warehouse Theater, aggressive designations were replaced by one word: courageous.

Elsa Andrianou’s courageous adaptation of the realistic work of 1856, which in the capable hands of Lillys Melemé acquires a tight theatrical structure and orderly dialogue, with unexpected doses of humor. The director orchestrates an excellent troupe with modest props and transports us to the provincial France of the time, with a completely fresh and courageous look.

Peggy Trikalioti as Emma & Paris Thomopoulos as Rodolfos

Courageous and dynamic, the interpretation of Peggys Trikaliotis which – while remaining faithful to the nuclear character of the heroine – puts us inside her soul so that we can understand her, if not sympathize with her. Her own Emma Bovary is a woman who painstakingly searches for happiness where society has promised her (in marriage, at home, in motherhood) but finds it nowhere.

“He wanted it and he got it.” This is the most frequent reaction of the audience, as Peggy conveyed to me in our conversation, following the show. Perhaps they forget that, in the not so distant past, a woman might not choose the direction of her life. It belonged to her father, then to her husband. She might not get an education, work, choose if or when to become a mother. It was “someone’s”. Someone’s “Madame”. So when someone else is defining your reality…isn’t it only natural that you want to escape?

MOVIE THEATER

This, “Last Summer”

LAST SUMMER, nominated for 4 César Awards

Katrin Breja’s film (an adaptation of the 2019 Scandinavian film “The Queen of Hearts”) tackles a topic that might turn into a soap opera:

Beautiful, successful wife and mother has an affair with her stepson. What makes the film special is its handling of the subject matter, the slow build of a dramatic, psychological thriller where the protagonist might have been called a rapist in the first second if she had been a man in the #metoo era.

The portrait of the heroine becomes even more contradictory, as the viewer admires how effectively and lovingly she behaves as a lawyer defending minor girls, victims of abuse. Leah Drucker masterfully portrays a woman who excels in all the roles of her adult life…except the one that leads her to throw a young, mentally disturbed boy into the wolf’s mouth.

As the last shot of the film begins to fade, the night scene fades to black but the reflection of a wedding ring remains for a few seconds. I wondered if it was a technical error, that bright pixel. Then I realized that no, it’s on purpose. It stands there, like a question: How far will we go in order not to “spoil” our homes?

Maria Callas on ERTFLIX

The life of the leading soprano will unfold on our screens in the autumn. Behind the ambitious production are the fearless producers Frosso Ralli and Irini Souganidou (Feelgood Entertainment), Olga Malea at the director’s helm, and an elite team of screenwriters. We are looking forward!