A mother who has a sexual relationship with her son-in-law, a family divided over land, and a son's rebellion and homosexual relationship with an older gentleman. The film explores the underbelly of a traditional Greek family after a tragic car accident where a daughter is killed. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of this film. The story moves fast, but once you get a hold of who's betraying whom, you become enthralled by the lives of this wonderfully despicable family. The son, Christos, plays the central character. The actor plays him marvelously; full of teenage angst, confusion, and only wants to detach himself from the family drama that surrounds him. The many characters in the film each with their own set of drama plays out well with a very uncompromising ending that leaves you wanting more. Go see this film if you want to see family dysfunction at its best. It's a great contemporary Greek tragedy.
8 Reviews
A good story
gbhxkcggj3 June 2022
a tacky mess of a film
damonisho11 January 2009
A convoluted story so sophomoric in its presentation as to suggest it was written by a committee of 13-year olds not yet familiar with the film's (sparse) subject matter. This is a movie of less sophistication than the most banal soaps of daytime TV, intended for an audience that cannot hold a thought longer than 30 seconds and who have little experience of the world outside of TV. The viewer feels some sympathy for the actors, playing a script in which every utterance rings false and every motivation has not been thought through. The only message that comes through clearly in this piece is "we're all fatuous idiots without any kind of a clue". Working to help produce such a bad movie cannot have been satisfying from any of the involved actors' career perspectives. The sex scenes can have only been added in the misguided hope of spicing up a woefully lost film. These scenes have no real bearing on such a skeleton storyline and, with such dumpy- looking participants engaged in coy, passionless grapplings, they are far from titillating. The punch-ups and scuffles are equally unmoving and leave the viewer mystified, wondering why they even happened. After 2 hours of pointless dreck masquerading as emotionally-fraught DRAMA, this tale could have ended in any number of ways, any of which wouldn't have made any difference to what this movie amounted to: cinematic barf. Only thing to do is flush it. Twice.
When the director wants to say something and fails
phitzi30 March 2004
This movie is one of the worst movies I've ever seen (And I'm not a difficult viewer). About half or more of the movie was filled with unnecessary scenes of sex, violence, mind sickness, that were not telling anything to the viewer, except the will of the director/writer to make something that socks.
There are better ways to sock and say something at the same time... Maybe I didn't get the point but as an example the sexual relationship between the mother and her daughters husband didn't make any sense to the whole movie (I wonder what it could be different if it didn't exist). Also the continuous (over than 10 scenes) forcing of the young boy to his lover to make love, was most of the times unnesessary. My final filling was that I saw a movie that could be based to a 1,000 words story.
There are better ways to sock and say something at the same time... Maybe I didn't get the point but as an example the sexual relationship between the mother and her daughters husband didn't make any sense to the whole movie (I wonder what it could be different if it didn't exist). Also the continuous (over than 10 scenes) forcing of the young boy to his lover to make love, was most of the times unnesessary. My final filling was that I saw a movie that could be based to a 1,000 words story.
A Dysfunctional Family in the Manner of Greek Tragedy
gradyharp16 April 2006
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
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
One of my favorite films
zztechno_addictzz31 May 2006
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
Oxygono is a better title then Blackmail Boy
jaybob29 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
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 ALERT
It 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 life
I 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
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 ALERT
It 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 life
I 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
a European must-see.
severus-snape-myspace23 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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