Dramatic film, Greek production, 2007, 93 minutes.

Ilias, now in his sixties, returns to his nearly deserted village after thirty years of hard labor in Germany’s factories. He buys a gas station and a taverna on the main road to Ioannina, trying to make a fresh start. Yet again, he feels like a stranger—this time in his own homeland.

Eleni, his wife, is twenty years younger and still beautiful. She married him very young, though she never loved him, hoping he would rescue her from the poverty and misery of the village. The thought of being condemned to spend the rest of her life in this desolate place drives her to despair. She longs to finally live—while there’s still time.

Petros is an Albanian undocumented immigrant who comes to Greece in search of a better life. Ilias saves him from the border patrol and hires him at his business. A unique father-son bond forms between them, while at the same time Eleni and Petros fall desperately in love—until the tragic ending.

AWARDS:
FIPRESCI Prize, 2007
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2007