Drakopoulos is the soul of that experience. You might not identify with the character but you will most certainly identify with the performance
A still from Pity. Pic/YouTube
Pity
Cast: Giannis Drakopoulos, Nota Tserniafski, Evdoxia Androulidaki, Georgina Chryskioti, Makis Papadimitriou, Evi Saoulidou, Nota Cherniavsky
Director: Babis Makridis
Writer: Babis Makridis, Efthymis Filippou
Rating: 
ADVERTISEMENT
When others feel sorrow for the misfortunes that have befallen you, it’s not a very comfortable experience and it’s not what most of us need in that time of grave distress. But Babis Makridis’ lead character thrives on it. He in fact feels comforted by that recognition by others around him. He literally craves it.
Pity may be constricted by its focal view but it does offer a stylized peek into Middle aged attorney, Yannis Drakopoulos’s life following his wife’s tragic comatose state following an accident. While his wife lies in a coma, he comes to depend on the kindness of strangers. But once she comes out of it( after several months), they withdraw their commiseration. Suddenly Yannis feels bereft. He craves for their pitiful attention and goes so far as to leave his dog stranded in the middle of the sea, in order to gain back that negative recognition. Till the time he rings on the neighbours doorbell demanding freshly baked cake she brought him and his son every morning while his wife was in hospital, the narrative shadows a darkly humorous and wry bent. But once the macabre series of events follow, it’s hard to feel pity for the man in the midst of it all.
The narrative feels straight-jacketed by the subjective theme and the premeditated plotting. Propelled by a voiceover narration that is deeply intonated by stillness between brief bursts of Beethoven and Mozart, the plotting steadily reveals the inner dynamics of the pitied creature who is on a precarious emotional curve. Pity tries to deconstruct the words and feelings expressed by people when they come in contact with victims and survivors of tragedy. And while it does so, it also pokes fun at movie sentimentality. The lawyer, in fact, describes his churning emotions as akin to that experienced while watching Franco Zeffirelli’s The Champ- his favourite example of tragic emotion.
It’s alluded that crying in movies is ridiculous- but straight off from that, the narrative cuts to Drakopoulos going into one of his regular bouts of blubbering. So largely it’s a performance of grieving brought forth by an unhinged yearning for pity. Though it’s a questionable portrait of human behaviour, it’s put forward in a dry and fascinating playfulness that manages to ring fairly true. Stunning visuals and cinema portrait framing add worth to the droll experience. Drakopoulos is the soul of that experience. You might not identify with the character but you will most certainly identify with the performance. Worth a pity dekho...
Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
