‘Murderess’ – an intense story that sheds light on a global issue
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Eva Nathena’s adaptation of ‘Murderess’ stands out in the 29th Greek Film Festival as an emotional 100-year-old story of women that remains relevant even in modern times.
‘Murderess’ will have its Australian premiere in Sydney and Melbourne as part of the Film Festival, organised by the Greek Orthodox Communities of NSW and of Melbourne respectively.
The film will headline the program of films in Sydney at its new added location of Palace Cinemas Moore Park on Saturday 19 October at 8.30pm. On the same day, Melbournias will be able to enjoy the film at The Astor Theatre at 7pm.
The film, based on the famous novel of the same name by Greek writer Alexandros Papadiamantis, is set in 1900s rural Greece wherein a devastating patriarchal society brings women to a breaking point.
The protagonist, played by actress Karyofyllia Karabeti, turns into a murderer in her twisted quest to “release” young girls from their social fate by committing femicide.
The film’s director, Eva Nathena, explained she first read the original book when she was 16 as part of the school curriculum, and felt a weird/awkward sympathy for the protagonist.
She admitted she found it strange at the time but understood clearer after her mother revealed to her that she had received negative comments for having given birth to two girls.
Nathena said that she experienced the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma upon hearing her mother’s story.
“I felt that Papadiamantis’ heroine is not relatable for her actions but for her trauma which was very similar to my mother’s,” she told Neos Kosmos.
Nathena highlighted that the phenomenon illustrated in the book and film occurred in Greece, motivated by the financial pressure imposed on poor parents by the old law of dowries.
She said that a letter was sent in 1836 from the municipality of Skopellos, Papadiamantis’ neighbouring island, to the Government to abolish this law and so stop the unaccounted-for murders of second and third-born infant girls whose parents were too poor to provide a dowry.
“This letter reveals that these murders were taking place in parts of Greece where this law was not formal and where the murderers could not be prosecuted even though the authorities were aware of them.”
Papadiamantis criticised this law in his book published roughly 60 years later in the 1900s (the law remained active until 1983).
“Papadiamantis points out through the protagonist that society created this law and this is why he describes his novel as a ‘social novel’,” the director said.
Nathena developed a deeper understanding of Murderess, and in 2009 she began to learn and document everything she could on the book with the ultimate goal of turning it into a film.
In 2021, after more than a decade of the project not materialising, they managed to get started.
“We decided to commence this project without direction and certainty that it would happen. It was just a thought about this collaboration which seemed to relate to more people than just us. I felt that it would be a good aim, a nice dream,” she said.
“This is a global issue”
Nathena revealed that the film ends by mentioning statistics from official sources as to the number of girls/women who have been killed due to gendercide.
“Official data says up until 1990, the horrific number of more than 100 million women have been demographically ‘missing’. In 2013 the European Parliament estimates this number at 200 million,” she said.
It is estimated that 40 million of this number comes from China because of the one-child policy, demonstrating that the phenomenon is still ongoing today.
“Papadiamantis brought to the surface the need to see with sympathy what our ancestors went through,” Nathena said.
The director expressed her immense pleasure the film has had success and been sought out overseas, stressing the central themes hold relevance across the world.
“This is a global issue and does not only relate to Greece. There are still ‘missing’ girls in India. I am always deeply satisfied and grateful wherever this film is shown in the world because it delivers this message,” she said.
Nathena stated she is looking forward to coming to Australia for its screening and shedding light on these aspects of Greece’s social history.
“Frangoyannou is one of the most emblematic figures of Greek literature”
Karabeti remarked on the immense honour she felt in bringing the protagonist of Alexandros Papadiamantis’ social novel ‘Murderess’ to life on the silver screen.
“Frangoyannou is one of the most emblematic figures of Greek literature, born from the pen of one of our most important writers,” Karabeti told Neos Kosmos.
“Countless analyses and studies have been written about her worldwide, through the lens of sociology, criminology or psychoanalysis. It was a great honour for me to be asked to interpret it.”
The actress explained that the character has been twisted and impacted by the society in which she lives in and she truly believes she is saving the girls from the suffering they would encounter in life.
“She is physically and psychologically abused even by her own mother because she knows all too well what it means to be a woman in this closed patriarchal society, where newborn baby girls are unwanted by their poor families who have to give them a dowry,” Karabeti said.
“In the confusion of her mind, she believes that she is carrying out God’s will and that by dying she is freeing these little girls from the torturous life that awaits them.
She admitted it was a challenge to interpret the character, “entering the darkness of her soul every day and trying to balance between her horror, tenderness and despair”.
The actress remarked that she is incredibly proud of the film and the overwhelmingly positive reception (critically and financially) it has had, leading to significant interest to screen it overseas.
“Its participation in major festivals around the world…gives us the opportunity to spread to a wider audience the message against female abuse and gender discrimination,” she said.
“Our director Eva Nathena, myself and all our collaborators felt the need to talk about this huge problem and to influence as many consciences as possible,” the actress said.
The original article: belongs to NEOS KOSMOS .
