ACAB (All Cats are Brilliant) - finding an anchor in uncertain times

ACAB (All Cats Are Brilliant) provides a different take on simmering revolutionary feelings in modern day Greece.  Elektra’s anarchist boyfriend is awaiting trial for a series of offences, their friends staging stunts and protests in support.  Elektra is no less committed to the cause, but her take on it is not one of grand, futile gestures and dogmatism and polemic.   Her approach is subtler and more creative, leaving unusual, questioning posters dotted around the city.

The film does two particularly interesting things.  Firstly, it’s portrayal of contemporary Athens which no longer feels like a city in a modern European democracy but as one step away from a war zone or police state – an occasional visit to the still wealthy areas emphasise this. 

Secondly, it poses questions around how people engage with politics and change in a turmoil.  Is her boyfriend Manousos brave for risking his freedom for what he believes in, preaching all or nothing revolution, or foolish as he is not succeeding in changing anything and being side-lined? Her parents are not endangering anything but are also only shouting at the TV in protest – does this make them as bad as those in charge for not taking more direct action to change things? Elektra herself is trying to work out her place within this new world, torn between idealism and pragmatism, as she wanders round the city. Maria Georgiadou's performance is brilliant at portraying this mix of uncertainty and determination, and brings a fully-realised and sympathetic character to the screen.  The only real connection she finds is with a child from a rich background that she babysits for, gently helping him see the world in a new way and enjoying the holiday away from the trouble in the rest of the city.  The film doesn't spoon feed answers, instead focusing on giving on a portrait of a city in uncertain times and the people trying to find their bearings again within it.  It is entertaining, engaging and thoughtful, infused with both anger and hope.  It is well scripted, directed and acted and is a really fascinating insight into an uncertain time that could see the country pulled in any direction.