Eleven years after his stylish crime drama 'Wednesday 04:45,' Greek writer-director Alexis Alexiou returns with another intriguing blend of neo-noir tropes and anguished character study.
By Guy Lodge
Plus IconGuy Lodge
Film Critic
@guylodge See All
Tugo Tugo Productions There are Greek waves aplenty lapping at the forlorn beachside setting of “Sea of Glass,” though they’re not especially weird ones. Amid a national cinema that has become internationally recognized for perverse plotting and deadpan absurdism, writer-director Alexis Alexiou‘s third feature stands out for its stark storytelling and earnest emotional intensity. There is more than a nod to classical Greek tragedy here, and the film — a contemporary tale of dysfunctional parent-child relationships with escalatingly brutal consequences — doesn’t wear it lightly. But a spirit of feminist independence also infiltrates these dark proceedings: Alexiou namechecks “Thelma and Louise” among his inspirations, and though “Sea of Glass” is never quite so rousing or rowdy, it’s finally a moving study of female allyship across generations.
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