O Gios Tis Sofias

Athens in 2004: whilst the Olympic Games return to their historical homeland for the first time in a century, sparking a wave of nostalgia and national pride in the process, the state of the domestic economy is providing cause for concern. Mischa's situation thus represents a metaphor for a long overdue generational change in both politics and society: whilst the old guard doggedly clings to the past, a new generation, raised on nostalgia for a bygone era, isn't yet ready to assume responsibility and seeks refuge in childish fantasies. With every new truth that confronts Mischa driving him deeper into the depths of his subconscious, it's not long before his alter ego, Mischa the bear, takes control.

Interspersed with psychoanalytical intimations, the film paints a nuanced portrait of a boy confronted by the complexity of human relations and gradually forced to leave the safe haven offered by his childish naivety. DJ