Christos Massalas’s compelling debut feature follows a winsome troupe of castaways in modern Greece.
The true performer knows that their craft demands seduction, for the lure of the stage is the thrill of escape. “Broadway,” the kinetic debut feature from Christos Massalas, captures the grim duality, in all its freedom and peril, of life at the margins. Set in Athens and visibly haunted by the specter of Greece’s economic crisis, the film follows a charismatic ensemble of misfits who make their living — at least nominally — as street performers. More precisely, they rely on the distraction of their rapt audience so that they may pick their pockets clean.
In ponderous voice-over, prone to the occasional cliché, Nelly (Elsa Lekakou) recounts her foray into their world: she is discovered in a strip club by the mercurial Markos (Stathis Apostolou), a seasoned thief, who whisks her off to the Broadway, an abandoned theater complex replete with an open-air rooftop cinema. She immediately assimilates into this clan, all of them either outsiders or defectors: the charming couple Rudolph (Rafael Papad) and Mohammad (Salim Talbi); Locksmith (Christos Politis), a shadowy old man and functional patriarch; and finally, the mysterious Jonas (Foivos Papadopoulos), hidden away with a bruised and bandaged face.
Feverishly pursued by a formidable gangster known only as the Maraboo, Jonas transforms into Barbara, a veritable bombshell with billowing bronze locks, pirouetting alongside Nelly in glittering jumpsuits for a spellbound crowd. When Markos is sent to prison, Barbara and Nelly establish a sweet romance, imperiled by the cloud of Markos’s inevitable return.
Amid some uneven characterizations, the cast enlivens “Broadway” with their compelling performances, sealed by a stirring finale and a characteristically soaring score from Gabriel Yared.
Broadway
Not rated. In Greek, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
