Greece Hotels Travel - From the Edge of the City
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List Price: $24.95
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Manufacturer: Picture This
Starring: Vasias Eleftheriadis, Kostas Gogos, Nikos Kamontos, Anestis Konstantinidis, Giannis Kontraphouris
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9781893410244
Format: Color
ISBN: 1893410242
Label: Picture This
Manufacturer: Picture This
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Picture This
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2001-09-11
Running Time: 94
Studio: Picture This
Theatrical Release Date: 1998
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Editorial Reviews:
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Buff and barely eighteen, Sasha lives outside Athens. At night, he and his friends go to the city to work as male prostitutes. Everyday they endure johns, drug dealers and pimps as they desperately try to survive in a country that is not their own.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Comment: A Picture This production, it is about a bunch of kids who are Russian immigrants to Greece, the movie is spoken in two languages, Russian and Greek. The plot revolves around Sasha, a seventeen very attractive young man. Sasha is bisexual as most of his friends. His family are Russian and his father feels he is a looser. Sasha's friends hustle for extra money, including himself. However, he prefers women over men. There seems to be an interview between Sasha and an unseen man throughout the entire movie, perhaps in prison, because of what he does at the end of the movie.
The movie focus on the perils of growing up in a city. There are the typical hang out places, lots of drugs and booze (one guy dies from an overdose, Anestis), the club scenes, the street dancing. The kids are all nice and cute. There are the prostitutes and the money made by them. Sasha becomes responsible for one (Natasha.) She was brought into the country illegally from Russia by Sasha's friend (Kotsian.) She is to be sold to a pair of Greek men. Kotsian makes Sasha responsible for her while on business in Athens.
There is the rich gay guy (Panagiotis), who pays high for Sasha's friends (including himself) to have sex. One of Sasha's friend falls for this guy, and has an accident trying to get into his second floor home. Sasha develops feelings for Natasha and tries to free her. Sasha fights Kotsian and kills him. Sasha goes to prison.
The movie is devoid of real love. It pictures that basically all problems are the same among men throughout the world, gay or straight. There are a lot of cute Eastern European men. The movie is culturally interesting, and if you can afford it, nice to view.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Greek Angst
Comment: "From the Edge of the City"
Greek Angst
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
Submitted as Greece's candidate for the Academy Award for foreign film is "From the Edge of the City". It is a film of many layers that appeals to all levels of society. Greece has been known to be homophobic and for Greek viewers this appeared to be a very angry film. Dealing with rent boys, it is easy to see why it has been so controversial especially in the depiction of Russian Greek immigrants. Because they so want to get ahead in society, they are led t a life of crime which includes male prostitution. Together with that are many homoerotic overtones and open discussion of the characters' lives as gay prostitutes
This film is classy especially the way it handles urban disorientation. There is a lot of flesh shown as well as cocaine use and inchoate homosexual activity. It makes you think and s complex but brilliant.
The movie is about those Russian Greeks who returned to Greece after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are third generation young people trying to find a place in the society of their adopted country. Their lives are explained to us through an interview with one of the youth named Sasha and e tells us how they use drugs and sell their bodies as well as their relationships with their families. Seemingly, it is a Greek documentary about a modern Greek tragedy--in reality it is a hard and brutally honest film.
The cast is made up of mainly street urchins and this satisfies. The cycle of their lives repeats itself over and over. Just because it is set in Athens does not mean that the same thing could not happen anywhere. The poor suburban home setting is perfect and the cast delivers. Some scenes will hit you straight on so this is not a movie for the weak.
When the Soviet Union existed, Greek Khazahkstanis fled to Athens where they attempted to assimilate into the society. Like most immigrants they faced problems and had difficulties. The youth had the hardest time and this is why they turned to drugs and prostitution. They wanted a good life without working to achieve it.
Sasha, the narrator of the film calls himself Rosa Ponds when he is interviewed. He is a handsome youngster but harbors many conflicts.
He and his friends begin committing petty crimes and then move to drugs and hustling. The numerous subplots give the film a sense of wandering and with a little stronger direction this could certainly have been a tighter film. The boys eventually become involved as both victims and perpetrators of abusive behavior but Sasha gives us hope (with his strong behavior that all will turn out well.
The film has a true sense of verismo because the cast is made up of actual street boys. But the boys are eye candy so that makes it an interesting movie to watch. It is self-consciously hip movie about a wasted generation that goes through the usual downward spiral ofsex, drugs and petty crimes.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Gritty Portrayal of Young Hustlers, Story Had an Ackward Flow
Comment: For starters, I just did not get inspired by this film. I didn't like it. I tried to find good in it so I could give it (at least) 3 stars, but no luck. I never connected with any of the characters, not even the lead Sasha. The best part of this production is the Trailer, which led me (and others I am sure) to purchase this film.
The story is referred to as a Greek Version of "My Own Private Idaho", and that is probably correct, though it has been at least 10 years since I viewed "My Own Private Idaho". I recall that one was also ackward, but I also recollect connecting with at least one of the film's characters.
"From the Edge of the City" follows the lives of (mostly) male hustler's. The storyline seems to be all over the place. I did not find myself gripped to the screen - ok, with the possible exception of watching the very hot lead Sasha!
If you are looking for the gay angle in this story (I was, after all, it was released by PictureThis! Home Video) and featured as a trailer on most of their gay releases, it will take you nearly an hour into the film before the topic is dealt with at any level, minus a few sentences here and there. At the point where the film could develop the story of one hustler's emotional connection with a gay man who pays for his services, it fails to do so with any real effort, and even so, there is little time left in the film.
I by no means expected a "Brady Bunch" storyline or a happy ending; I expected neither, and they are not here. After the film, I watched the trailer again, and felt it really did a misleading job of promoting this movie, or maybe the film simply isn't that good?
A few hot scenes, some quality, but overall, far less then I expected. FYI - The film is in Greek and Kazak with English subtitles.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Irredeemable trash.
Comment: In both American and European cinema, male prostitutes and drug dealers seem to have become fashion icons. A class of people who were once considered the lowest of the low are now popular subjects for 'edgy', 'gritty' filmaking that tries to capture the pain and misery of such lives.
This film is one such effort, and it is an exceptionally feeble one. Coming from Greek filmaker Constantine Giannaris and set in Athens, it tells of the sordid lives of a group of Russian-Greek immigrants who deal drugs, visit prostitutes and sell their own bodies to older men (whilst maintaining arguable heterosexual status). The film proceeds to tell its meandering and unispired story in the style of a music video or fashion commercial, with a self-consciously trendy soundtrack in the background. The cast is universally appalling, probably due to the fact that they are non-professionals recruited from the very environment the film seeks to document.
I suspect that Giannaris never expected this film to be released internationally. As a result he felt able to indulge in obvious unoriginality. Watch out for a tableau sex scene and fake interviews with the main character, both of which are blatantly lifted from 'My Own Private Idaho'. But whereas Gus Van Sant's film had a sympathetic main character, this film has as its protagonist a stupid, sexist, homophobic loser who it is impossible to like let alone care about. The audience will probably feel a good measure of self-righteous pleasure at his various misfortunes!
Of course, this sort of film always attracts good reviews from the enlightened ones who sadly mistake its depraved voyeurism for art, but don't be fooled. There is nothing compelling, artistic or remotely likeable about this film. I would advise you to avoid it at all costs.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I loathed this film.
Comment: This film is an utter waste of time and effort. The subject matter was handled much better in 'My Own Private Idaho', 'Trainspotting' and 'Midnight Cowboy'. There is nothing remotely likeable about any of the characters, so one has no reason to care about them.
I myself am Greek and I assure you Athens is nothing like this, it is a modern, welcoming, pleasant city and this film does our country a grave diservice.
Please do not see it.
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