Michelle Valley Movies

Three young people exist in a strange world of their parents' devising in this bizarre drama from writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos. A father and mother (Christos Stergioglou and Michele Valley) live in a large house on the outskirts of town with their three children, whose ages range from mid-teens to early twenties. The children have never been allowed to leave the house (which is surrounded by a tall fence), and their knowledge of the outside world has been strictly controlled by their parents, who have chosen to teach them only what they believe is important and have deliberately confused or misled them in many other areas. The parents quite literally treat their children like animals, and the only contact the youngsters have with people outside their family is Christina (Anna Kalaitzidou), a woman who works with the father's business and comes by periodically to have sex with the eldest son (Christos Passalis). Christina makes the mistake of bringing a present for the two younger daughters (Aggeliki Papoulia and Mary Tsoni), and explains the custom is that they should give her something in return. This simple act sets off a chain reaction of events that has terrible consequences for everyone involved. Kynodontas (aka Dogtooth) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this supernatural-themed romance, a German woman in the between-wars period is being initiated into some kind of esoteric/psychic order and learns at that time that her ideal mate won't even be born for quite a few years. By 1936, she has moved to Greece with her Greek husband, and there she meets Alberto, a very young Greek man, a Jew, who is evidently the man she has been seeking. They are able to read each other's thoughts and do so in the midst of a sexual encounter. Despite the boy's attraction to her, he spurns her due to her age (she is forty). She commits suicide and is born almost immediately as someone able to protect her ideal mate from the Germans. Later, as a young woman, she again has a liaison with Alberto, who again spurns her due to their age differences. Flashbacks indicate that this situation has been part of their lives for many incarnations. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this psychological drama, Christos is profoundly gripped by the sensation that he has no inner resources whatsoever, and that everything he ever valued or hoped for has been lost or betrayed forever. In an attempt to come to grips with his inner state, he returns to Thessaloniki after a long absence and looks up his relatives and old friends there. None of them is able to assist him, but for a short time the new relationship he strikes up with a student actress appearing in a local dramatic presentation gives him some solace. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this conventional drama, Stelios (Tassos Halkias) returns to Athens from Germany with a law degree in hand and is anxious to set up shop in the city. After visiting his mother, who still lives in their native village, Stelios starts working for a boss who in the end he cannot tolerate. The same does not apply to the boss's wife, who gives him the funds to start an office on his own and then goes to bed with him. After his girlfriend becomes more involved with her greenhouse than him, Stelios turns more and more to finding satisfaction in his work. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide