Maria, an old retired prostitute, visits the home of Evdokia, a current prostitute, and based on coffee remains in a cup prophecies troubles for her. Giorgos, a young Sergeant, spots Evdokia in a bar one evening and dances for her. When Evdokia’s pimp threatens her in her home, Giorgos enters and throws him out. Giorgos proposes Evdokia, but doesn’t show up for the wedding because he was detained in the Army. The couple argues, but still gets married later. Giorgos is jealous of other men looking at Evdokia. After being discharged from the Army, not knowing where to find a job, Giorgos disappears. Evdokia sees other clients for money. When the couple makes up again in the bar, the pimp and his men beat Giorgos and leave him on the street to die, and kidnap Evdokia in a van.
Included in two polls of the Greek Film Critics Association as one of the ten best Greek films in history, one of only three films directed by Alexis Damianos, “Evdokia” is a raw, coarse, astringent and ‘rough’ cinematic experience in order to present a wild love story between a prostitute and a soldier. Because as wild as their passionate relationship is, it somehow feels remarkably honest and pure in some elementary emotions. Furthermore, they live in a desolate area, often with incomplete houses under construction around them, to emphasize even more their isolation on the margins of society, and their inability to grow into complete personalities. Some scenes are impressive in their shot compositions: Evdokia on the fence watching the twenty shirtless soldiers practicing on the field from afar; or the stylish choreography of the soldiers standing in line, performing a maneuver of putting a hand on each other’s shoulders and then picking up their rifles, one after the other, like a domino. Some symbols also work (Giorgos is despised by many because he is in the Army, hinting at the Greek military junta during that time).
Yet the intimate relationship between Evdokia and Giorgos stands out the most: they love each other, but also often argue. On the one hand, he is crazy about her, but on the other, he secretly wishes for a normal woman, who is not a prostitute. The biggest insult for him is when someone chastises him for his wife supporting him, while he will be unemployed and broke once he is discharged from the military draft. There is something strangely destructive about their relationship, they always flirt with the extreme or danger, as if that excites them, and thus a tragedy just waits to happen: Evdokia swings on a rope loosely tied to a tree, over a huge cliff; Giorgos jumps heads-up on the ground while chasing her; Giorgos slaps her, but she just takes his hand and puts it gently on her cheek, smiling, as if she yearns for his touch, regardless in what form. Despite some clumsy moments, vague situations and a rather strange ending, "Evdokia" is both emotional and tragic, and influenced several future European films about devastating relationships of outsiders which cause a couple to burn out, such as "Turkish Delight" and "Betty Blue".
Grade:+++
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