This film looks wonderful with the sun splashed Mediterranean colours beautifully reproduced. I'm not so sure about the editing as the deeper message is pretty much lost on me. In many ways a movie of childhood fun dotted with amusing moments, it quickly becomes, for brief moments, very dark indeed. Five eleven year old boys call themselves 'The Acrobats' and are teaching themselves different Circus skills during the summer holidays. Most of the action takes place around a deep cistern with a large propeller pump at the bottom of one end. The boys swim, play and practice their circus skills in and around this cistern. One of the boys is beaten (along with his mother) on a regular basis by his father. One day the boy shoots his dad and he and his mum leave the area. At least one other boy is caught and chopped up by the propeller in the cistern. The remaining boys aren't forbidden and do continue to play there. All this and a thread that runs through the movie of an old woman's curse, low level magic and a 150 year old man (at least) who is allergic to vanilla. What any of this means in terms of the story, the boys or the cistern is a mystery to me. An interesting film that's worth watching and if you 'get' the meaning please explain.
2 Reviews
A fulfilling experience where magic and harsh reality unite!
MissPiggyGR10 January 2004
A thoroughly enjoyable film which at times becomes quite dark, but the balance is cleverly restored with humorous scenes. It offers an interesting insight into Greek culture yet makes itself appealing to an international audience!
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