Director Alexandros Avranas won The Silver Lion award for best director at the 70th Venice International Film Festival for “Miss Violence”, a film about a father who prostitutes his own children for money.
At a normal birthday party, a happy 11 year old very carefully climbs onto and drops off of her balcony, smashing into the ground and leaving her family to pick up the pieces. The police can find no reason for her to have done it, nothing suspicious comes up on her school record, it is apparently a moment of madness. No one outside the family realises just what kind of horror hides behind the closed doors.
Miss Violence starts dark, and gets darker. Bizarre pseudo-punishments lead to emotional and physical abuse, culminating in what is easily the darkest scene in any movie at this year’s TIFF. Avranas builds tension well, beginning with the mystery then slowly developing the different characters of the family. The whole thing hinges on Themis Panou and his performance as the father figure of the family. He masterfully straddles the line between doting father/grandfather and creep, slowly unravelling as the seams start to show on the world he has very carefully constructed. The child actors also do a great job, especially considering the subject matter.
This is not going to be an easy movie to watch. But it is a good one.
-Donal O’Connor
Shown at this year’s TIFF13 : Toronto International Film Festival.