AMERIKA SQUARE

Hatred, which manifests itself in many ways, is often the result of fear. When times are bad, people often look for a scapegoat. This heated and highly topical subject is examined in Yannis Sakaridis’ AMERIKA SQUARE. At 38, Nakos still lives with his parents, unable to find work. His frustration has found an outlet in his obsessive tracking of the immigrants in his apartment complex. As that number grows, Nakos’ racist ideology becomes increasingly dangerous. His tattoo artist neighbor Billy has fallen for an African singer named Tereza. She’s gotten herself mixed up with the mob, and Billy is desperate to help her escape. Meanwhile across town a middle-aged Syrian refugee named Tarek (brilliantly portrayed by Vassilis Kukalani) is trying to find safe passage to Germany for himself and his young daughter. Billy and Tarek both turn to Hassan, an expert at smuggling immigrants. The three stories are lightly intertwined at the beginning. But ultimately they end up tightly wound in a fervent crescendo. This intense film tackles immigration head on; its chilling implications provide a teachable moment as its narrative eerily mirrors our current reality. (In English, Greek, and Arabic with subtitles) —E.F.