Z is that sort of film that defies classification. The best label I can come up for it is political-crime-action-satire. Think ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN on Mediterrainean steroids, or Frank Capra in need of Prozac. It's key ability is to grab you by the balls and throw you into a world where you're not sure which "elected" official to trust, or who is getting paid off by whom.
The story is disturbingly based on real incidents that took place in Greece in the early to mid 60s. A prominent senator and deputy of a Nuclear Disarmament committee is hit by a truck immediately after giving a major speech. The film makes it clear who the good and bad guys after from the very first scenes: A corrupt, fascistic government versus a liberal organization deemed unpatriotic. It's also very clear to the audience from the get-go that the deputy was killed deliberately. The suspense lies in whether there will be justice for the dead, and his grieving wife.
Z's jarring proto-reality TV editing can make viewing a pain, but also gives it a harshness and documentary quality that benefits the story. The film's two hindrances are the abrupt ending (which attempts to compress years of developments into a few minutes), and the seething anger which permeates nearly every frame. Yes, the gross injustice in the film is blood curdling stuff, but the filmmakers have a tendency to romanticize the nobility of protesters, political dissidents, and even tabloid reporting. The ruling opposition are caricatures at best, hypocritical monsters at worst. The most human (and most interesting) character is the lead magistrate appointed to investigate the "accident", whose view of the world noticeably evolves over the course of the film.
But ultimately this is a film about ideas rather than humans, as it should be. The same rage that weakens it gives it its best strengths. Z is a film to remind us that our trust in political power should not be taken for granted (as it usually is in the United States), and that ideals scarcely translate from the drawing room to the real world. This message, along with an entertaining thriller plot and Mikis Theodorakis' brilliant score, makes Z a film that ought to be seen.
The story is disturbingly based on real incidents that took place in Greece in the early to mid 60s. A prominent senator and deputy of a Nuclear Disarmament committee is hit by a truck immediately after giving a major speech. The film makes it clear who the good and bad guys after from the very first scenes: A corrupt, fascistic government versus a liberal organization deemed unpatriotic. It's also very clear to the audience from the get-go that the deputy was killed deliberately. The suspense lies in whether there will be justice for the dead, and his grieving wife.
Z's jarring proto-reality TV editing can make viewing a pain, but also gives it a harshness and documentary quality that benefits the story. The film's two hindrances are the abrupt ending (which attempts to compress years of developments into a few minutes), and the seething anger which permeates nearly every frame. Yes, the gross injustice in the film is blood curdling stuff, but the filmmakers have a tendency to romanticize the nobility of protesters, political dissidents, and even tabloid reporting. The ruling opposition are caricatures at best, hypocritical monsters at worst. The most human (and most interesting) character is the lead magistrate appointed to investigate the "accident", whose view of the world noticeably evolves over the course of the film.
But ultimately this is a film about ideas rather than humans, as it should be. The same rage that weakens it gives it its best strengths. Z is a film to remind us that our trust in political power should not be taken for granted (as it usually is in the United States), and that ideals scarcely translate from the drawing room to the real world. This message, along with an entertaining thriller plot and Mikis Theodorakis' brilliant score, makes Z a film that ought to be seen.
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