Rouleman

A complex structure and some flashy camera tricks can't hide the fact that Panos Karkanevatos' picture about a doomed love affair is actually a very simple tale of lust, abandonment, and rage (but they do make it more difficult to follow). In a remote Greek industrial town, a vibrant young woman named Loula is romanced by Kosmos, a mysterious stranger from Athens, and the pair eventually become engaged. But before the wedding can occur Loula departs for the city, where she thinks she has a standing offer from a club owner to sing and dance at his establishment. The job doesn't materialize, but she stays anyway, and the crestfallen Kosmos follows to beg her to return home with him, and then snaps when she refuses. Instead of presenting this rather ordinary story straightforwardly, Karkanevatos tries to lend the tale a poetic cast by laying it out, Citizen Kane-style, in flashbacks, as an investigative TV team follows Loula's route, interviewing witnesses at every step of the way, including—finally—Kosmos himself. Unfortunately, there is no Rosebud moment here, and the jarring handheld camerawork—presumably intended to give the visuals a woozy, voluptuous feel—just comes across as inept. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)