Attenberg

A Greek Coming-Of-Age Tale That Benefits From An Unorthodox Tone, But Kept Me Emotionally Distanced
The Greek oddity "Attenberg" by Athina Rachel Tsangari made me laugh almost instantly with its opening kissing sequence which managed to be both hilarious and strangely unsettling. This unorthodox coming-of-age story concerns a young woman in a coastal village who has never had to adapt to the harsh realities of the world around her. Her existence is relatively insular. She spends time goofing off with her best gal pal, clowning with her father, and doing an occasional driving job. She lacks focus. On the surface, it seems that "Attenberg" is going to be comedic, but there is much seriousness layered throughout. Within a short period of time, our heroine must come to terms with illness, mortality and romance. And it's the tone with which the picture approaches these topics that makes it particularly unique. Everything is so dry, so matter-of-fact, so deadpan. There is no emotional grandstanding and not many big moments, but we see the subtle shifts that start to formulate a...

Attenberg
[[ASIN:B007HC8E7U Attenberg]

The film is visually stunning, unique, and brave in that it doesn't simply show a life, a history, or a particular point of view. It is directed by a woman I've never heard of before, takes place in Greece and doesn't depend on dialogue to tell a story. You see it, hear it, feel it and can almost touch it....... just as you can in real life. I love the silence, the lack of an orchestrated soundtrack, the songs by Suicide (a Psychobilly Band). There are no action sequences, special effects, or 3-D because it doesn't need it. You are not given any clues and it doesn't tell you how to feel or react. I think I can safely say that most people in the Northern Hemisphere would not like this film; which makes it very special indeed. What higher praise can I give it? This film could not, would not, ever be made in America. Now that the world is splattered with Starbucks, Mcdonald's, KFC, smart phones and the internet it is wonderful to see a film that...

Moving father-daughter relationship drama
I recently saw that 2009 film from Greece named Dogtooth, and really liked it. I decided to check out some more movies in the same vein, which lead me to this one (the director of Dogtooth is a co-producer and one of the main acotrs in this one).

"Attenberg" (2010 release from Greece; 94 min.) brings the story of Marine, a 23 yr. old misfit who feels alienated from everyone and everything. In fact, her only solace seems to be to watch Sir David Attenborough's nature documentaries. Her "circle" exists of her best friend Bella (who refers to Sir David as "Attenberg"), and Marina's dad Styros, an architect whom we later learn has a terminal illness. Marina also gets to know the (nameless) engineer from out of town whom she chauffeurs around and to whom she becomes attracted. To tell you much more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Seceral comments: first and foremost, this is a very touching...

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