I’m not one to get political, but this week has been trying. From our president trying to stifle internet social media companies to the murder of a black man by the police, to the tact in which the response was handled, to the global pandemic that is happening. This film REALLY aligns with what’s going on in the world now and I can only be as angry and frustrated as Costa-Gavras was over the assassination of Grigoris Lambrakis. The film has so many layers and smart metaphors — from Z having a strong heart (his brain is dead but his heart is alive) to ROSHOMON-esque flashbacks of people telling “their side of the story” and we get to see what their lies look like. Corruption is everywhere. Espionage and murder and letting all of it just happen without consequence IS this film. Most of the characters don’t really have names. People are called The Chief of Police, The Deputy, The Lawyer, etc. This makes them feel less like human beings and more of the faceless roles they occupy. In real life, the villains do tend to get away with things and this film really reflects on this. The editing is FAN-TAS-TIC. Françoise Bonnot really deserved his Oscar win. It’s so face paced and helps to really put you into the frenzy everyone is in.
