directed by Tonia Mishiali
Honestly speaking, I watched this film today. Today is one of those days I wish I could just stay in bed all day long because I cannot focus at all. So in order to do something more productive than walking from the desk to the kitchen (with a break for staring at everything I have in the fridge) and then back to the desk, I decided to find a film that would somehow force me to look at the screen. The description of “Pause” is totally hackneyed, I’m sure you’ll admit it. But please, don’t stop reading my post after the description of the story, because there’s some potential. The main character is Elpida (Stella Fyrogeni) who is a lovely woman and a new grandma. She has a daughter who has left the house to live with her own family. Elpida sees her daughter and baby granddaughter only via Internet. However, she’s not living alone, because she shares the flat with her husband Costas (Andreas Vasileiou). The man seems to be a perfect example of a husband that treats his partner partially as a mother, partially as a slave. Meaning, Elpida needs to take care of the house, cook for him, clean after him, make sure the fridge is full and his socks are washed. But she also has to obey Costas, so she cannot go where she wants, she always has to listen to his orders and even be his sex toy whenever he needs that. Shortly speaking, a perfect picture of patriarchy these days. And here you may think that the idea for the film isn’t original and you’ve seen hundreds of such productions. Yes, I agree. Still, the way this story is told made me feel for Elpida. It’s not overacted, there’s no self-pitying. There’s only a simple woman, emotionless and lonely, who lost hope a long time ago. Which is a nice wordplay for Greek speakers, because her name, Elpida, means “hope” in Greek. See what I did there? Or rather I got this impression from the film. Anyway, I know the description might not sound like something you would want to see, but give it a try. I don’t want to tell you too much, because the form they chose to make this film is specific and if I tell you now, I’ll ruin it for you. So just trust me. And close that fridge. You’re not hungry, just bored!
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 