I balada tis trypias kardias

I rarely strongly dislike a film that makes it to AFI's festivals but this was a huge disappointment. Was looking forward to what was described as a thriller and a comedy. Neither funny nor thrilling, with characters with no nuance or complexity, only watch if you want to spend two hours seeing people yell and kill each other.

I can understand those that like this film and those that don't like the film! If you are not familiar with the films of this director then you won't like the dialogues. The director purposely put the actors to use slang and bad words. If you are not a Greek it will be difficult to laugh with that. The scenario is good and keeps you in some tension until the end.

The actors of every film of Oikonomidis are in tense and get angry very easy. The threshold to be violent is low.

The film is on the limits of realism. There are exaggerations in the characters and in the use of language but these kind of characters exist in Greece.

"Ballad for a Pierced Heart" exceeds all expectations and brings something new to the table that Greek Cinema has never seen before. Black comedy, Drama, Noir. Director Yannis Economides successfully merges all those genres into one masterfully executed and acted(!) film, ready to inspire a new generation of filmmakers. The cinematography is excellent and fits perfectly with the tone the director was going for. There really are no big flaws with this "Ballad", maybe if I had to nitpick I would say that the score of the film is sometimes a little bit off but it never takes you out of the experience. In conclusion "Ballad for a Pierced Heart" is absolutely what it needed to by both for the audience and the modern era of Greek Cinema.

I definitely will never understand the reviewers that rate this movie with one star. It definitely can't be one of the worst movies they've seen. The movie is well directed and with multiple twists. Actors (especially the protagonist) are doing a great job. Many funny scenes especially if you're Greek.

Ok, don't miss this one, two hours of pure fun.

Not a second goes by without excitement.

Amazing acting. One of the best Greek movies I have ever seen.