Πολίτικη Κουζίνα - Politiki Kouzina (A Touch of Spice)

This Tassos Boulmetis film was a great surprise as the film is really very easy to watch even when deals with quite serious matters; but Boulmetis (he’s also the screenplay writer) did a fantastic job by using the Turkish cuisine as the storyline to follow and most of all, by blending reality with the most surreal and enchanting magic. In the end this is a very magical movie in almost all the sense of the word, except when it comes to special effects –but who cares when everything else is just magical.

The story follows Fanis Iakovidis since he was a very young boy with his grandfather teaching him the magic of spices, its relationship to astronomy, life and everything else, and Fanis falling totally in love with young Samie. Fanis father is Greek and his mother is Turkish, they live in Istanbul (Constantinopla) and when the Cypriot intercommunal violence starts, Fanis father is deported to Greece where they’re welcomed more as Turks than Greeks. But, the metaphor follows young Fanis that simply loves to cook and their parents doing the impossible to make him forget about cooking, as they’re afraid he will become gay. And the rest you have to watch it in this fantastic crowd pleaser movie that was a huge hit with Greek audiences and in the 2003 Thessaloniki fest were won 10 awards.

Great performances by a large cast with Georges Corraface playing older Fanis quite remarkable and have to say that the actor looks a lot like young Tony Musante (remember the beautiful and unforgettable Enrico Maria Salerno movie Anonimo Veneziano?) and the likeness just melted me. Anyway, the film has great tech specs especially a very compelling cinematography; just some special effects are really on the not good side.

I strongly recommend this very entertaining movie to adult audiences as I’m sure will entertain you and perhaps some of you will also be greatly touch by the story always in the back that deals with awful war consequences to ordinary families that do not participate in battle (no battles here) but endure psychological and everyday life consequences.

Last, one particular thing is outstanding in this movie and have to say that totally subjugated me: the food!!! So, I suggest you do not watch this movie with an empty stomach.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @ Movie On Companion