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Clip description
Ari (Alex Dimitriades) comes home to a hostile reception from his father Dimitri (Tony Nikolakopoulos) and his mother Sophia (Eugenia Fragos), after being out all night. His father calls him an animal and tries to physically intimidate him; his mother has to intervene to stop a fight. When Ari locks himself in his bedroom, Dimitri turns on his wife, telling her she has ruined his children. Ari later runs to the top of a building, with a view across the river at Melbourne, gulping the air, as if he’s drowning.
Curator’s notes
A good introduction to the film’s energy and emotional roller-coaster. The music that Ari listens to as he approaches home matches his anxiety. He knows he’s in trouble, but it’s a surprise how quickly the fight begins. Kokkinos gives us a good sense that this has all happened many times before. Ari retreats into his headphones – and head space – as soon as he can, before escaping to a place where he can breathe. The scene is also very physical – close to violence. Ari’s father is a threatening presence, belligerent and bellicose and full of anger.
