Blackmail Boy (2005)

Blackmail Boy (Oxygono) is an eccentric piece of art. to the viewer that is used to American blockbusters and mainstream movies it might not appeal, but for someone looking for more original and special film it will be an apocalypse. very true in depicting the characters of a Greek small town it manages to unfold an uncommon story that somehow manages to seem familiar. the story might not be the most common one, and in an almodovaresque way the situations depicted are obviously somewhat curious. however the characters, their actions and reactions, with their poetic realism couldn't be closer to real life. every single scene manages to make its point and to add to the strange yet captivating and full of secrets story. nobody is being judged, nobody is being praised, the persons are simply being observed as they eagerly embark on their journey towards nothing.

This is the first modern Greek film I have scene. (the other took place during ancient history times.The setting is in a suburb of Athens,, This is a story about a very dysfunctional family, that could be set in any suburb of any city anywhere.SPOILER ALERTIt starts with a tragedy & subsequently there is an eventual tragedy near the last scene as well. Without sounding facetious, The Greeks are masters of & at tragedies.. PLease do not get me wrong, this film is good BUT can never be considered an equal of the great tragedies of the past OXYGONO (Oxygen) is pure soap opera, It could compare with Dallas or Knots Landing, it is that good & interesting.The American DVD title is Blackmail Boy, OH yes there is an element of blackmail wish of course is a cause of the last tragedy. The boy is a handsome Greek God type (early 20's), who was a victim of the first tragedy. The lad is sex-personified & is not particular in regard to the sex of his bed-mates. (they are all older than he).THere are vital & vibrant women as well in the cast, portraying his mother,a sister an Aunt & a girl friend. There are also also 2 dominant male roles besides this lad, his sexy brother-in law & a friend of his & other members of the family.They all argue,fight, make love like any other dysfunctional or even regular families.I liked all these people to some degree, NO one was real nasty or downright ugly mean. There are fights & a few get beaten up roughly, there is a scary nightmare scene of near drowning & OH yes there is sex of ALL kinds,including a male rape scene. I mentioned our young hero is bi-sexual,did n't I. It is one of the discussion a few have, his & another's sexuality is taken naturally & as a normal event of lifeI highly recommend this film I got it thru NETFLIX, It should be available in video stores that have many foreign movies.Ratings ***1/2 (out of 4) 90 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)I was planning on a 3 star rating, BUT in writing above it's a borderline ***1/2

Well as a Greek civilian i saw in that movie the real Greek culture ... Sex , violence , blackmail is everything what a modern audience can ask from a movie!!!When i saw that black comedy i thought of Pedro Almodovar . To tell the truth , Reppas and Papathanasiou never reached Almodovar's abilities but i think they made a good start . The plot of Blackmail Boy ( a.k.a. Oxygono (GR) ) was amazing , it was quite good directed and the actors played also good in the film especially Yannis Tsimitselis and the 'Greek God' Alexandros Georgoulis. I got surprised when i saw the criticism of the film and the only thing i have to say is : Everyone who prefers European cinema MUST SEE THAT MOVIE. Thank you fellas

Thanasis Papathanasiou and Michalis Reppas serve the double capacities as writers and directors of this Greek film that places a contemporary Greek family on the stage of ancient Greek tragedies, even to the point of parallels between the characters and Greek tragedy roles! Though the story is complex and meanders a bit too much to follow with ease, it does make a powerful statement about families torn apart by death, greed, and all manner of sexual disloyalties.The family consists of mother Magda who owns important land coveted by entrepreneurs and who runs a bakery while caring for her wholly invalid husband injured in a car crash that killed her daughter; a money-conscious daughter married to Stelios, an earthy stud of a man with whom Magda is having an affair; the silent near comatose father who sits observing the tragedy like a wordless Greek chorus; and Christos, the hunky son who is bisexual and sleeping with a young girlfriend and an older woman and an older bisexual male city official Yiorgos who is married with children and is in charge of the city planning, his chief project involves the land Magda owns.The plot is convoluted but basically boils down to the development of a blackmail plan that will gain money for the land the family owns. The blackmail plan involves Christos' affair with Yiorgos in which videotapes are made of Christos' assignations with Yiorgos. The lives of all the characters are altered once the greed consumes them and there are discoveries, a death, betrayals, twists and feuds that end in a surprising manner.The cast is strong, especially Yannis Tsimitselis as Christos, Nena Menti as Magda, Akilas Karazisis as Yiorgos, and Alexis Georgoulis as Stelios, with all of the supporting roles well cast. There may be just too many factors to keep straight in this film, but the overall effect is rather grand in its unremitting examination of a family in the process of disintegrating. Well done though taxing movie. Grady Harp