Angeliki Papoulia delivers a raw and gripping performance as Maria, a woman teetering on the edge of a social precipice in filmmaker Syllas Tzoumerkas's A Blast. Told in a fragmentary fashion that jumps back and forth in time, the story follows Maria's life from her years as a promiscuous college dropout living with her boorish sister Gogo (Maria Filini) and affluent—albeit shady—parents (Themis Bazaka, Yorgos Biniaris), to her budding, intensely sexual relationship with handsome sailor Yannis (Vassilis Doganis). But after having three children, discovering her family's secret debts, watching her sister marry a fascistic cretin (Makis Papadimitriou), and desperately longing for physical love, the emotional time bomb that resides within Maria begins its inexorable countdown. Shot with expert technical proficiency, A Blast hinges on Papoulia's stunning portrayal of a wife and mother slowly coming to the realization that she is damaged goods and that her life does not at all resemble what she thought it would be. By turns naturalistically crass, considerate, and carnal, Papoulia's Maria is a beautifully realized role, worth the price of admission alone. Featuring sexually explicit imagery, this is highly recommended for more adventurous collections. (J. Cruz)
A Blast
IndiePix, 83 min., in Greek w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99 Volume 32, Issue 6
A Blast
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