Stratos

Stratos spent half his life in prison, where the powerful Leonidas took him under his wing and even once saved his life. Now Stratos works the night shift at a bakery – murdering for hire by day – and invests all the money he earns on a plan to break Leonidas out of prison. The big day is approaching.... Perhaps this austere movie's straight-up criminal plotline is sufficient, but it portrays its gangland shenanigans devoid of any romance or purely generic elements, replacing them with an emphasis on social issues. The surrounding world is characterized as despondingly indifferent, much like the movie's pervasive, life-draining gloom. Stratos' quick gestures and powerful resolve while at work combine with a moderate dose of mystery, thereby supplying the film with sustained tension and subliminal anxiety. Looking at the taciturn main character, it's hard to read anything at all, and when the man – an otherwise reliable killer – decides to start doing things his own way, the tension only builds. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)