Mahairovgaltis aka Knifer (2010) Greek Noir

Directed by Yannis Economides (Stratos). 

Writing by Doris Avgerinopoulos and Yannis Economides.  Cinematography by Dimitris Katsaitis, and Music by Akis Kapranos. 

The film starts Stathis Stamoulakatos as Nikos, Vangelis Mourikis as Alekos, Maria Kallimani as Gogo. Yannis Voulgarakis as Nikos' friend, Yannis Anastasakis as Drunk man, Nikol Drizi as Nikos' girl, Konstadinos Siradakis as Waiter (as Kostas Syradakis). 

Stathis Stamoulakatos as Nikos

Vangelis Mourikis as Alekos

Maria Kallimani as Gogo

A funny thing you find from the statements published, when you read some of the IMDb reviews of this, is that obviously the reviews are all from Greek writers. Some debate whether it's a Neo Realist film or a documentary, others say its story is subtext for conditions in Greece at the time it was filmed. Nobody is looking at it as a Film Noir. Which goes to show you how screwed up the understanding of Films Noir has been. 

You got the majority (not all) of one faction echoed by a whole marketing campaign just considering American films between 1940-1958-9. If you look outside that box you are "watering down the brand." The only problem with that is there's only roughly 400 + or - Hollywood Noir. So a quarter of them are excellent to very good, another quarter maybe good to average the rest watchable. It's a very narrow view and on some Facebook Noir Groups, posters (some who are memorabilia / photo collectors who are getting tired of talking about the same films over and over are now posting publicity photos of the films, or images on the birthdays of, not only lead actors, but also of supporting actors you never heard of. Another guy posts the "ten things you need to know about so and so." It gets boring.

Finally, now thanks to the internet other newer groups have emerged that now cover all Noir, the world of Noir, the, so to speak, "Noir Universe." 

Noir is simply a Dark Story (of any genre) coupled with a Visual Style that phototropical-ly stimulates that Dark Story, if it has enough of those two elements, it tip's the film Noir for you the individual viewer. So Noir is three things and one of them is subjective so everybody is going to have a slightly different angle in a multifaceted Noir Universe.

You get to the point that you know it (Noir) when you see it. Now a days you can also have audio stimulation of a story and its another ingredient in Noir's toolbox..

Knowing nothing of the politics of Greece, or whether Yannis Economides was trying to make a political or Neo Realist film doesn't matter, to me he definitely made a Film Noir. 

Nikos was living in Ptolemaida. When his father dies he takes up his uncle Aleko's offer of a room and board in a suburb of Athens so he can look after Aleko's prized Dobermans when he is gone. 

Come to Athens you can live with us and take care of my dogs

Sounds like an answer and a new beginning. However it all goes Noirsville when his Aunt Gogo catches him masturbating and likes what she sees. How Noir is that?

Noirsville

Yannis Economide's Knifer reminds me a bit of Bella Tarr's  Karhozat (Damnation) there's a lot of long takes that surely for most will equate with melancholy and despair of Nikos stuck in a sleepy bedroom suburb of Athens, in what at first seems like a continuation Ptolemaida. 

Deep thinkers who know Greece and it's culture will read the subtext and become diviners all sorts of probable "meaning" into the various scenarios, but on a World level we can all see it as basic Noir material and enjoy the simple story and it's visuals. 6.5-7/10.