The Return (2024)
Uberto Pasolini’s The Return, a reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey adapted by Edward Bond, John Colle, and Pasolini himself, is now showing in Greek cinemas following its premiere at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival last month. The screening was graced by the presence of its two lead actors, Ralph Fiennes as Odysseus and Juliette Binoche as Penelope.
The film opens with Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca, finally returning to his homeland after ten years of fighting in the Trojan War and another decade of wandering at sea. However, Penelope, his beloved wife, is now besieged by suitors—worthless interlopers vying for his kingdom. Meanwhile, his son Telemachus, raised without a father, faces death at the hands of these suitors, who see him as a barrier to their relentless pursuit of both Penelope and the kingdom.
Scarred by the horrors of war, Odysseus has changed. In Pasolini’s retelling, the Greek hero embarks on yet another Odyssey—a journey to reclaim what is rightfully his and find his place once more.
Director: Uberto Pasolini
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Charlie Plummer
Language: English
IMDB rating: 7/10
Production countries: Italy, United Kingdom
Where to watch: Elli cinema, The Greek Film Archive, Cinemax (Nirvana, Aello, Nana, Kifissia), Aigli 3D digital, Village cinemas (The Mall, Pangrati, Metro Mall, Rentis), Tria Asteria 3D digital, Sporting digital cinema, Anoixi Art cinema, Lampros Konstantaras movie theater, , Foivos digital cinema, WestCity cinema, Options Cinemas (Glyfada, Ilion), Cineac municipal cinema, Varkiza cinema
Megalopolis (2024)
Following its sold-out premiere at the Athens International Film Festival, Greek cinephiles can now enjoy Megalopolis, the latest film from one of cinema’s greatest directors and a key figure in the American New Wave—Francis Ford Coppola.
At 85, Coppola, best known for The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and The Cotton Club, returns with Megalopolis, a visually stunning sci-fi drama thriller centered on the enduring nature of empires. Much like the Roman Empire, no empire lasts forever.
Set in a retro-futurist New York that blends futuristic architecture with classical Roman influences, Megalopolis follows Nobel Prize-winning architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who envisions demolishing the city and rebuilding it from the ground up. His ambitious project polarizes society, creating fierce supporters and equally passionate opponents. The city’s mayor, Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), vehemently opposes Catilina’s vision and faces an unexpected challenge when his daughter, Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel), falls in love with the controversial architect.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Cast: Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter
Dustin Hoffman
Language: English
IMDB rating: 4.9/10
Production country: United States
Where to watch: Cinobo Opera, Danaos, Aigli 3D digital, Cinemax (Kifissia, Aello, Nana), Village cinemas (The Mall, Pangrati, Metro Mall, Rentis), Tria Asteria 3D digital, Sporting digital cinema, Anoixi Art cinema, WestCity cinema, Options Cinemas (Glyfada, Ilion), Zea cinema, Cine Varkiza
Richelieu (2023)
In his feature film debut, Canadian director Pierre-Philippe Chevigny draws on real-life stories of migrant workers in Canada to shine a light on the harsh realities faced by Guatemalan workers in Quebec. These migrant workers are forced to endure deplorable conditions in a grain processing factory.
Ariane, recovering from a bad breakup, returns home and takes a job as an interpreter for the seasonal workers. Witnessing the widespread abuse at the factory, Ariane faces a moral dilemma: how far is she willing to go to stand up against the injustice she witnesses?
Director: Pierre-Philippe Chevigny
Cast: Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado
Language: French (with Greek subtitles)
IMDB rating: 7.3/10
Production country: Canada
Where to watch: Newman cinema
Heretic (2024)
In Heretic, Hugh Grant surprises audiences by taking on one of the most daring, twisted, and unpredictable roles of his career. He plays Mr. Reed, an enigmatic and brilliant religious scholar who lives alone in a secluded forest. Two young Mormon missionaries visit him to “sell” him Christianity, unaware that they are about to become entangled in a psychological cat-and-mouse game.
Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Cast: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East
Language: English
IMDB rating: 7.2/10
Production country: United States
Where to watch: Athinaion cinema, Aigli 3D digital, Village cinemas (The Mall, Pangrati, Metro Mall, Rentis), Tria Asteria 3D digital, Cinemax (Aello, Nana), Elize cinema, Sporting digital cinema, Anoixi Art cinema, WestCity cinema, Lampros Konstantaras movie theater, Options Cinemas (Glyfada, Ilion), Cineac municipal cinema, Varkiza cinema
Bird (2024)
Andrea Arnold, one of the most distinctive voices in British independent cinema over the last 20 years, has long been fascinated by the margins of society and its outcasts (Red Road, Fish Tank). In her new film Bird, Arnold returns to her roots, setting this coming-of-age drama in her birthplace of Kent in the north of England.
The story follows Bailey, a 12-year-old girl who lives with her single father, Bug, and her brother, Hunter, in a squat. As her father struggles to find time for his children, Bailey—on the brink of adolescence—seeks attention and adventure outside the confines of her unstable home life.
Director: Andrea Arnold
Cast: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Jason Buda, Jasmine Jobson, Frankie Box
Language: English
IMDB rating: 7.2/10
Production countries: United Kingdom, France,Germany, United States
Where to watch: Cinobo Opera, Cinobo Patission, Galaxias cinema, Cine Varkiza
For Children: Moana 2
The second installment of Disney’s Moana franchise is here. Set three years after the events of the first film (2016), Moana 2 follows the young explorer as she continues to chart new islands in search of people connected to the ocean. However, an unexpected call from her ancestors sends Moana on a perilous journey into uncharted waters, where an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced awaits.
Director: David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller
Cast: Auliʻi Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualālai Chung, Rose Matafeo, David Fane, Awhimai Fraser
Language: Greek audio (in some cinemas with original English audio)
IMDB rating: 7.2/10
Production country: United States
Where to watch: Moana 2″ is playing in most cinemas across Athens, but it can be found with the original English audio and Greek subtitles at the following: Cinemax (Nana), Athinaion cinema, Village cinemas (The Mall, Rentis), Options cinemas (Glyfada, Ilion)
Special Events
This weekend, Studio New Star Art Cinema presents a 6-film retrospective of Israeli-American filmmaker Udi Aloni, accompanied by the lead actress of his latest film, Junction 48 (Samar Qupty). Both Aloni and Qupty will be guests of the cinema and the Greek Film Archive. The screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions and coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, observed annually on November 29.
