Little England (Μικρά Αγγλία)

It is the turn for a piece of Greek cinema as part of our culture section in ChiosRadio, we have the pleasure to introduce you to the movie Μικρά Αγγλία or Little England, released in 2013.
The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Ioanna Karystiani and directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. The film has a really delicate photography with always harmonious colors and a balance in every scene without playing the beauty of Andros Island and Greece down.

The movie begins in 1930 in the Greek island of Andros. Here mostly of the women are sailors wives and they spend their time together, taking care of their families, their houses and waiting for the husbands to return home safe and sound.

The title Little England or Mikra Agglia is because Andros´ small society imitated the social organization of the mighty English naval empire and because is the name of one of the main character´s ship. The whole movie takes part in Andros or in the ships where the husbands are. The main characters are two sisters and her husbands and love stories. The mother of the two sisters arrange their marriages for them so both of them are financially secure but this derives in a tension because they are not married with the men they love. Both sisters accept their roles as married women, raising their children and managing the household. The silence tension and resentment is a constant in the movie in the older sister mind and is always preparing us for a big emotional explosion and a secrets reveal scene. The peak of the movie comes when the II World War burst and all the consequences that this will bring to the families and lives of our main characters.

It is a movie about emotions, feelings, the rules that the life impose to us and the situation of the women in those years as guards of their own houses and trying to give to their children a normal life despite of the constant absences of their fathers. And also the sides from the men, where also they suffer and they are aware that their absence is justified but at the same time makes them feel like strangers in their own houses or with their own children. This film explores how a small community works and plus one that is dominated by the sea life and the sailor way of living.

The actors of this movie are Pinelopi Tsilika, Sofia Kokkali, Aneza Papadopoulou, Andreas Konstantinou, Maximos Moumouris and Vasilis Vasilakis. The movie was a success in public and critic due to its quality and powerful story. Many of the sea families can identify themselves with the struggles of the main characters in the movie. Little England dominated at the 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, where it won six awards, including Best Film. Also got big success at the 2014 Shanghai International Film Festival, where it won two Golden Goblet Awards. Another recognition for Little England was its selection as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

Enjoy with us this piece of Greek art