Opening with the inexplicable suicide of eleven-year-old Angeliki in the middle of her own birthday party, it’s plain to see that Miss Violence demands of its viewers a certain threshold of pain. Yet if Angeliki’s seemingly typical middle-class Greek family bears any emotional wounds from this harrowing loss, these are certainly not on public display. On the contrary, her single mother, grandparents and siblings present a perfectly composed front. And Child Protective Services are beginning to wonder ...

With his second feature, director Alexandros Avranas creates a tastefully austere, colour-co-ordinated universe, where everything is ordered and nothing is what it seems. Upon closer inspection, the film’s subdued palette can be interpreted as a visual metaphor for submission, as the deceptively placid paterfamilias can slip from gentle protector to tormentor, causing all colour to drain from his household.

Set up as a carefully constructed series of episodes in which the family’s hierarchy and history is gradually revealed, Miss Violence is a domestic coup d'état waiting to happen. From the script to the acting, cinematography, and art direction, Miss Violence is precision film-making at its best.

Dimitri Epides
Toronto International Film Festival

Winner, Best Director & Best Actor, Venice International Film Festival