Meltem by Basile Doganis
Ivan Magrin-Chagnolleau
Back to the Roots
Meltem (which is the name of a strong wind in Greece) is the first feature film by Basile Doganis, who also directed the two documentaries On The Edge (2008) and Altérations / Kô Murobushi (2019), as well as the two short fiction films Le Gardien de son frère (2007) and Journée d’appel (2014).
Meltem tells the coming-of-age story of Elena (Daphné Patakia), a young woman of Greek origin living in France with her father. Nine months after the death of her mother, who had remained in Greece, Elena decides to take a summer trip to the island of Lesbos, where her mother lived with her new partner, Manos (Akis Sakellariou), in a house she has now inherited. She has come to sell this house—or at least that is the official reason for her trip. She is accompanied by two friends from hospitality school, Nassim (Rabah Naït Ouffela) and Sekou (Lamine Cissokho).
This stay on the island of Lesbos is an opportunity for Elena to grieve, to make peace with her past and with Manos, to discover her romantic feelings, and to confront the issue of migrants through the character of Elyas (Karam Al Kafri), a Syrian migrant living illegally on the island, who regularly crosses paths with the three friends.
Even though the plot seems a bit complex at first glance, the film works wonderfully. This is mainly due to the direction, which stays very close to the characters while also showcasing the island’s idyllic setting, and to the fact that the story is always told from Elena’s perspective, which gives the film a strong sense of unity. The film also avoids falling into the clichés of this type of story and presents the issue of migrants in a deeply humanistic way. The casting is perfect and the direction of the actors is masterfully handled. The performances by Daphne Patakia, Rabah Naït Ouffela, and Lamine Cissokho are remarkable. Even the slightly more minor roles played by Karam Al Kafri (a non-professional actor) and Akis Sakellariou are magnificently portrayed. Konstantinos Koukoulios’s cinematography and Kyriakos Kalaitzidis’s music are splendid and perfectly complement the story.
A tremendous success. A must-see. We eagerly await the next one!
Director: Basile Doganis
Producers: Denis Carot, Marie Masmonteil, Fenia Cossovitsa
Screenplay: Basile Doganis et Fadette Drouard
Cinematography: Konstantinos Koukoulios
Music: Kyriakos Kalaitzidis
Editing: Riwanon Le Beller
Sound: Simon Apostolou
Cast:
Daphné Patakia (Elena)
Rabah Naït Ouffela (Nassim)
Lamine Cissokho (Sekou)
Karam Al Kafri (Elyas)
Akis Sakellariou (Manos)
Féodor Atkine (Edward)