Original subtitles

Fires are lighted in the night.

King Agamemnon returns from the Trojan War after ten years.

He's accompanied by his mistress Cassandra.

His wife Clytemnestra plots with her lover Aegisthus

and they kill Agamemnon.

His son Orestes returns from exile to avenge him,

and kills his mother Clytemnestra.

After the murder, Orestes is pursued by the Furies.

God Apollo gets the Furies to sleep and Orestes flees to Athens.

Orestes's trial begins.

For the first time in history, people of Athens decide his fate.

Oresteia.

Pan Entertainment

EZ Films

JDP in association with Nukleus Film

present

in coproduction with

with the participation of

and the support of

A film by Yorgos Zois

My love...

My husband...

Don't you recognize me?

I've been waiting for you for ten years.

I am your wife.

Don't you recognize me?

Who is this stranger?

It's...

your gift...

to me,

after all those years?

There is no

softer light

for a forlorn spouse,

than seeing her husband

come back to her...

alive.

Orestes...

Orestes...

Orestes...

Your father

is dead.

And the same fate

awaits me as well.

But before I depart on my final voyage,

let me deliver my last prophecy.

The gods shall not leave our murderers unpunished.

Offspring will come from afar,

seeking vengeance...

Good evening.

We apologize for the interruption.

The play will resume shortly.

Last night we went out

and I danced with a girl till dawn.

We are the Chorus.

From now on, we will be your guide for tonight.

We need your help to go on.

Those who wish to join us on stage are welcome to do so.

The audience

welcomes the participants with a warm round of applause.

Prologue.

The participants will step forward and introduce themselves.

Good evening.

Your name?

Odysseas Pildis...

Your age?

I'm twenty four years old.

You're an usher here?

Yes, for a year and a half now.

I'm also a student.

What do you study?

Drama. I want to be a director. A theater director.

You like this play?

Very much.

I can't wait to see how it will evolve tonight.

Thank you, Odysseas.

Good evening.

Your name?

Margarita. And this is Konstantinos.

What do you do?

I'm a lawyer.

Do you lie sometimes?

I do.

Have you ever represented a guilty client?

Naturally.

But I would rather not talk about my job in front of Konstantinos.

Konstantinos, how old are you?

Seven.

No, eight.

It's his birthday today. He's eight.

Happy birthday Konstantinos.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Thanks a lot.

Good evening.

Your name?

My name is Petros Raptis.

What do you do?

I'm a civil servant at the Ministry of Finance.

Petros, do you have a hobby?

Yes.

I love the theater, movies,

scale modeling and shooting.

Do you have guns?

Guns, no. Just one gun.

Do you have it here?

No, I don't go around carrying it on me.

It's an Olympic sport, you know.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

Hello.

Hello.

You two know each other?

Yes, we're sisters.

Your names?

I'm Konstantina.

And I'm Ellie.

Ellie, what do you do?

I'm a headmistress,

currently working at an elementary school.

Konstantina?

I don't work at the moment.

Unemployed?

No, I just haven't decided what to do yet.

Ellie, do you have a boyfriend?

This is quite personal.

What about you, Konstantina?

Several.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

-Good evening. -Good evening.

-What's your name? -Lucas Andreou.

Your age?

Thirty nine.

Your job?

Actor.

Do you think you're a good actor?

I think I am, yes.

Can you cry?

Cry?

Yes.

Let me try.

Thanks a lot.

Thank you.

-Hello. -Hello.

Your name?

I am Klelia.

Have you been working here long?

Six months.

Have you ever been in a play?

When I was a kid I always acted.

Alone, that is. Inside my head.

What do you mean?

I remember, once,

in junior high, I went to see the headmaster,

and I lied, pretending I was going to faint.

But I convinced myself so hard,

that I actually fainted.

Klelia, what happens here tonight, is it real or not?

Real.

Thank you. Thanks.

Can we come down now?

No, stay.

Tonight you are all part of the show.

One of you

is Orestes.

Part one.

After the death of his father Agamemnon,

Orestes returns from exile.

He wanders across the country.

Come.

The way back home is long.

Orestes hears noises. He walks faster.

Orestes runs away from danger.

He runs faster.

He needs to reach his father's grave before nightfall.

Night has fallen.

Orestes hides.

Orestes... sees a light in the dark.

Part Two.

Electra

visits her father Agamemnon's grave.

Electra

is not alone.

Electra

tries to recognize her brother, Orestes.

I'm Orestes!

Electra

touches and smells Orestes's hair,

it should be the same as hers.

Then I must be Orestes.

We have the same hair...

Electra still can't recognize her brother.

But there is

a foolproof detail.

Orestes has a birthmark.

Electra searches for this mark.

I have orthopedic screws here.

I have a scar on my knee.

I have a mole.

I have a mark, it's a bit...

Here.

Electra

finds the wound.

Leave them alone.

This man...

is her brother.

It's Orestes.

Brother and sister meet again

after seven years.

They embrace.

Orestes turns away from his sister.

Electra returns to the palace.

Part Three.

Orestes enters the palace

with his friend Pylades.

He avenges his father's murder

and kills his mother Clytemnestra,

and her lover Aegisthus.

But tonight,

this performance

will have an alternative ending.

You will discuss what Orestes would have done nowadays.

Orestes will listen to your opinion and decide what to do.

I don't know where to start.

I think that...

There's this saying you often hear:

Tragedy transcends

the reality of our present.

For example, there's the famous Thyestes cannibal dinner

where the brother of Orestes's grandfather, Thyestes,

sorry, where Orestes's grandfather

invites Thyestes to a banquet where he eats his own children.

That's hardly something you can relate to, nowadays...

That's what I mean.

Yes.

I'm afraid we're wandering away from our topic.

It's a brilliant philological analysis and I'm sure that

their family tree goes back even further.

But our topic here is what we would do, today.

What you would do in Orestes's shoes.

What I can say, me, today, is that

murder,

or rather the choice of murder, is not an option.

Taking someone's life is not a possibility to even consider

by any standard. This is my opinion.

I think that man, at the time,

had a more direct connection

with nature, with life.

Nowadays there are other ways to get justice.

I think that

Orestes needs to avenge his father, but in a more civilized way.

He should hire a good lawyer and sue his mother for everything she owns.

Speaking as a good lawyer,

I must tell you to always listen to both sides of a conflict.

Clytemnestra suffered much more than the harm she's done to others.

If Orestes could take a step back

look her in the eye and listen, I want to believe that

he'd have spared her.

Orestes...

Please,

don't kill your mother...

A mother is sacred...

There.

Sorry, but I...

I don't understand this debate. We're asked to find another ending,

to examine the myth under new light.

Who cares today if your father... or your mother, killed your father,

or your grandfather ate his brothers,

I didn't really get it...

But for me, all this belongs to the past.

I think we should see things differently today.

Adapt to our time.

Why do we keep those old myths? Who imposes them on us?

I don't believe in any myth.

I would like to say that for me,

the myth is important, as it proves that each character has its own truth.

Clytemnestra has hers,

same goes for Agamemnon,

Orestes too...

I disapprove of taking the law into one's hands,

whatever the circumstances,

but if you put the myth back in the context of those days,

then you should go on and commit the murder.

But today, I'd say that...

you need to free yourself from the opinion of others,

of what others expect you to do.

Today Orestes must abandon his role.

The debate has ended.

The stage is yours tonight.

Odysseas

will direct the play.

He will assign the parts,

lead you,

and you will perform the scene.

Ah, nice.

We need two things.

First of all, if we could have a gun...

Give him a gun.

Give him a gun.

And if possible, turn the stage lights off.

Good evening.

Good evening.

-Mrs. Clytemnestra? -No.

How can I help you?

We would like to talk to her.

Who are you?

We bring her news.

Wait a minute.

Someone here for you.

Who is it?

Two men.

What do they want?

We don't know.

Show them in.

Please come in.

Hello.

Hello.

We apologize for the interruption.

We bear bad news.

Your son, Orestes.

He's dead.

I don't know what to say.

Should I say something else?

Do you want me to say something?

-What is it? -Electra. Don't you recognize me?

No.

And this?

Recognize me now?

Your birthmark.

Orestes...

My brother!

Orestes.

Welcome.

Have a seat.

You have a gun?

What for?

I have my reasons.

You want to kill me?

Pylades, what should I do?

I think you should kill her.

I can't do this.

Think about it.

Give her a second chance.

Sorry...

Let's go, Pylades, it's not worth it.

Please forgive me.

Come on, let's go.

Odysseas

take the microphone.

I'm listening.

How was it?

I think we did our best.

Did they follow your instructions?

Yes...

It turned out a little funnier than I would have expected,

but...

it was good, especially considering no one is an actor, except Lucas.

Lucas?

Have you ever played Orestes?

No, never.

Did you identify with him?

Yes.

Good.

Margarita?

And you?

Your impression?

I feel a bit awkward, I've been thinking about it a while.

Because...

Since we finished the debate without any real conclusion.

I think that... what we've done...

maybe wasn't so interesting

for the audience who watched us.

Because the myth...

is beyond us, after all.

And me...

tonight, with Konstantinos,

we came here, even if it sounds cruel,

to see Orestes

kill his mother.

The scene

will be performed again.

The Chorus

brings Clytemnestra, Aegisthus and Pylades on stage.

Who are you?

Good evening.

Who are you?

We apologize for the interruption.

We bear bad news.

We're listening.

Your son, Orestes,

is dead.

Friends...

Strangers...

You...

who are...

You are...

welcome

in this house.

Sorry.

Please forgive me

but I don't understand what is going on here...

What don't you understand?

Mother?

Orestes

asks Pylades for advice.

Pylades, what should I do?

Pylades, what should I do?

Pylades, what should I do?

Intermission.

Please have a seat.

Have a seat.

Thank you.

There are people behind...

The performance continues?

It looks like the banquet of Thyestes...

Thanks.

Cheers!

Cheers.

End of intermission.

You're invited to go up to the balcony for the next part of the performance.

Excuse me...

I'd like to ask for your permission to leave.

Konstantinos, do you want to go?

Yes.

As you wish.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Murderer.

You're a murderer.

Orestes

is guilt stricken.

Orestes is guilt stricken.

Orestes

is guilt stricken.

You are all alone,

Orestes.

Where are they all?

Where have they gone?

Where are your people?

Call them!

Where is Pylades?

Where is Electra?

Look at them.

Look.

Hidden in the dark.

These are your people, Orestes.

This...

is your audience.

They abandoned you.

You have no one but me, Orestes.

Are you afraid of me, Orestes?

The two of us have...

something in common.

We cannot

we cannot escape our fate.

Do you recognize me?

Do you remember me?

We've met before, we two.

You don't remember?

Where have you met me? Who am I?

Remember!

I am Yorgos.

I'm twenty eight.

I study mathematics,

I don't believe in God.

I am...

Miltos.

I'm twenty nine,

I am homosexual,

I grew up in Brazil,

came here when I was nine...

Tell me, Orestes, who do you want me to be?

Talk.

Talk!

Who do you want me to be? Say it!

I'm twenty eight, I have a twin sister,

my mother died when I was nine,

I am Dimitris.

I'm thirty two, I'm an electrician, I live in Kifissia,

I am... Argyris.

I'm forty eight, and I love...

I really love playing music,

I play the guitar, drums, the accordion...

One minute. I need a minute.

Orestes,

Orestes!

Who am I?

Who do you want me to be?

I am nobody.

Nobody.

We don't need you anymore, Orestes.

No more need for Orestes.

We don't need anyone in the world.

We are almighty, we have it all.

We're here to claim our due.

We don't need anyone, you hear? Nobody at all!

This world belongs to us.

Leave him!

Please.

Let us go.

Stop...

Please stop.

Let us leave now.

Let us go.

I'm okay.

I'm okay.

Orestes

asks for the help of god Apollo.

The Furies fall asleep.

The Furies fall asleep.

Lie down.

On the floor.

Sleep.

The Furies fall asleep.

Down.

Orestes, go away.

Leave.

The doors of the temple are open.

I'm offering you my help, Orestes, go.

I can't keep them asleep forever, go now.

Come with us, quick.

Orestes

leaves for Athens.

Wake up.

Wake up and look at me.

I am Clytemnestra, in your dream.

Orestes

is gone

and you're still sleeping.

What are you waiting for?

Do what you have to do.

All back inside!

Help!

To your places!

Gather together!

Back up!

Don't touch me!

Leave her alone.

Shut up!

Back off!

Quiet!

To your place.

The trial for the murder of Clytemnestra begins.

For the first time in history,

the verdict will not be pronounced by a judge,

but by the audience.

The Furies will be the prosecutor.

Apollo will plead for the defendant.

Put your guns away.

The trial begins.

If the accused have nothing to say,

then the audience will decide without further ado.

I am guilty!

I did it.

The performance is over.

Turn on the lights!

Get up and leave.

Leave!

Get up!

Go out, all of you!

What are you waiting for?

Out, now.

The show is over.

Finished.

Leave.

The end!

Deus ex machina.

Good evening.

Last night I danced with a boy till dawn.

We are the Chorus.

From now on, we will be your guide for tonight.

The citizens of Athens decide.

Those who find him guilty raise your hand.

Those who find him innocent, raise your hand.

Innocent.

Third act.

Actors and participants undress.

The Chorus loads the guns.

The Chorus undresses.

Catharsis.

Music.

And, one and two, three and four,

five and six, seven, eight.

One, two, three, four,

hand in hand, and again from the start.

Very good.

And the ladies to first position,

five, six, seven, eight.

Four, five, six, seven, that's it.

Ladies raise your hands

and turn to your partner.

Hand in hand again,

and one, two, three, four.

And the last figure, ladies...

And we part.

Back to your seats.

Next couples, please.

In position...

Music.

Chorus

Participants

Theater actors

Written and directed by Yorgos Zois

Producers

Executive producer

Co-producers

Cinematographer Camera

Editor

Music Soundscapes

Set designer

Costumes

Sound recorder

Sound design Mix

Makeup artist

Hairdressers

Production manager

First assistant director

The film could not have been made without the contribution of

Konstantina Kotzamani