Z

Costa-Gavras
1969

I had the good fortune of seeing this unique agitprop flick during it's 40th anniversary celebration at Film Forum with a Q & A by director Gavras and editor Francoise Bonnot. A more or less direct repudiation of the military rule of Gavras's home country Greece, the film covers the murder of an opposition party speaker and the ensuing investigation by a regime official. While "Z" possesses a linear and cohesive narrative it's interesting to note that there are no main characters to rely on, but instead an amalgam of people (generally only named by their titles) traversing a climate of political turmoil. Most surprisingly is the picture's use of humor which is subtle but frequent, and almost completely changes the tone of an experience that could be overly grave or pretentious. This is also one of the best examples of mob direction I've ever seen. Gavras shoots the confusion of shouting and sloganeering masses as they seethe and roil with the accuracy of documentary footage. Powerful and often ironic the film concludes with an abbreviated list of the intellectual achievements outlawed by Greece's military dictatorship including homegrown thinkers Plato and Aristophanes.