A Woman's Way (2009)

A daring and unusual film from Greece directed by Panos H. Koutras (previous work includes The Attack of the Giant Mousaka back in 1999), A Woman's Way follows an inmate named Yiorgos (Yiannis Kokiasmenos) who is being released from prison after a fifteen year sentence for committing murder. He is on a mission to sell his home in his old village and find his lost son Leonidas of whom he has had no contact with while in prison. In the process he stays at a run down hotel and falls for a young pre-op transsexual prostitute named Strella (Mina Orfanou), who also works as a cabaret singer while taking care of her cancer ridden friend. After seeing her for awhile, his attitude gradually becomes lighter and his confidence increase but their affair comes to a screeching halt when her past comes out and an awful truth is realized connecting both of them together in a whole new way that Yiorgos could not have prepared for. This is a well acted and well directed film with performances that are varied and all believable featuring some scenes with humor and others displaying genuine drama. The direction is notable as much of Athens is shown off and there are a few interesting scenes featuring long takes. The one problem I had with the film in terms of how it was put together was with this one recurring dream sequence that the main character kept having: It was a CG squirrel in a forest. At different points in the film the squirrel's appearance would change based on how Yiorgos felt. If he was happy, the squirrel was in a sunny forest and it was peaceful. If something was wrong, the squirrel was roaring at the camera. This is incorporated into the story and it makes sense in terms of the plot, but it just seemed unnecessary and even silly. The poor CG also didn't fit with the more realistic camera style depicting a much neglected aspect of society.

That being said, I must state that this story is only meant for the very open-minded. This is not due to the various transsexual characters or the graphic nudity and sex scenes. This is due to one major twist that makes this love story so hard to watch that it could quite literally ruin the movie for some of the viewers; It is just downright disturbing. The film makes some blatant references Greek mythology and for those more familiar with how Greek mythological families mingled...you've been warned. To the credit of the director, this one particular twist is treated lightly in such a way that it can be taken in and potentially tolerated by the viewer. Though it is a film that I will probably never see again, it must be acknowledged that it is well made and for those brave enough to sit through the entire thing, there is a lot to take in and many questions to ponder over as the film challenges what makes a family and true love.