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Clip description
Ari (Alex Dimitriades), Joe (Damien Fotiou) and Joe’s fiancé Dina (Dona Kaskanis) are at the ‘Steki’, a Greek nightclub, when Betty (Elena Mandalis) arrives, looking distraught. Dina has been flirting with Ari all night, but she recoils when he kisses her with an open mouth in front of Joe. Ari and Betty retire to the Ladies to snort some speed. Ari tells Betty he loves her, but Joe destroys the moment, banging on the door, trying to stop his sister from taking more drugs.
Curator’s notes
One of the key tensions in the film is between doing what’s expected, and living a free life. This is completely entwined with the question of the level of ‘Greekness’ of each character. Joe and Dina are not in love; they’re getting married because they have been promised a house deposit as a reward. This for Dina will constitute some sense of standing, an achievement within the community. Ari and Betty know they can never be content with that, even though they do love each other, in a sort of way that’s not just friendship, but not exactly physical romance either. (They have tried to have sex earlier in the night, but he stopped halfway). Betty knows he likes men, and he calls her a lesbian. They take drugs, rather than having sex. It’s a form of communion in this scene, which is why Ari tells her he loves her – about the only words of tenderness he utters in the film.
