Sas Zitoun Sto Tilefono: A chaotic day in Athens

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a stage play stuck in a hallway, then yes, dive in. It’s for the people who miss that specific 1950s Greek cinema vibe where everyone is shouting a little too loud and moving way too fast. If you need tight pacing or a story that doesn't rely on someone picking up the wrong receiver, you’re probably going to be annoyed by the twenty-minute mark.

There’s something weirdly comforting about watching people in 1950s Athens try to navigate their love lives through a landline. Sas zitoun sto tilefono isn't trying to be a masterpiece, and honestly, that’s its best quality.

The whole thing takes place in this urban house where the walls are apparently made of tissue paper. Everyone knows everyone else’s business before the characters do. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in You Never Know, though here the stakes feel significantly lower, mostly revolving around who is dating who and why they won't just say it to their faces.

The Phone Is a Character

Seriously, the phone is the most important actor in the room. Every time it rings, someone dives for it like it’s a grenade. It’s silly, it’s repetitive, and yeah, it gets a bit tired halfway through. But there’s a charm to it.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Sas zitoun sto tilefono (1934) through its definitive frames.

Dora Volanaki carries a lot of the weight here, looking perpetually exhausted by the people around her. It’s a very relatable performance, especially when she’s just staring at the wall while someone else is rambling about a misunderstanding that could be solved with one actual sentence.

I found myself zoning out during the scenes in the hallway. They go on for ages. Sometimes the dialogue just loops, and you can tell the actors are just trying to hit their marks before the camera cuts away. It feels unedited, like someone just left the tape rolling because they liked the way the light hit the stairwell.

• The wardrobe is peak mid-century crisp.
• The sheer amount of running up and down stairs.
• Nobody ever just hangs up the phone, they just get interrupted.

It’s not as polished as something like The Turmoil, and it doesn't try to be. It’s messy. It’s got that jittery, black-and-white static feeling that makes you want to drink a lukewarm coffee and just watch the chaos. It doesn't leave you thinking about the human condition, but it might leave you wondering why people were so obsessed with landlines back then.

I caught myself laughing at a moment that definitely wasn't supposed to be funny—a background extra just kind of leaning against a doorframe for an entire scene, completely ignoring the screaming match in the foreground. Pure gold. 📞