Greek Film Fest 2024 Review - Hear Who’s Talking
Images courtesy of the Greek Film Festival.
We all hear a voice…
Thodoris Niarchos’ no-budget 2023 feature film debut Hear Who’s Talking offers a witty and introspective insight into the life of a life coach who has lost all sense of direction. We follow Fotis (Meletis Ilias) as he dredges through his monotonous work life and complete lack of social life - outside of his dog. The only break from this tiresome routine is the unwanted voice inside of his head that urges him to turn his life around, pushing him to look after himself to often disastrous consequences.
Meletis effortlessly embodies the role of Fotis, a character constantly caught in the crossfire of his own conflicted thoughts and insecurities. His funniest moments come from scenes with his wonderfully quirky patients—like an aggressively alcoholic priest or a man tormented by mosquitoes and pigeons—where he delivers thoughtful advice while his inner voice reveals his true thoughts. Yet his strongest moments come from when he wrestles with this voice, a voice so vivid it becomes a character in its own right - a testament to Meletis’ skills and relatability. After all, who hasn’t heard that voice call us an idiot after a minor social faux pas? Additionally, the raw anxiety he conveyed in scenes with Fotis’ love interest Chrysanthi (Xanthi Georgiou) make him incredibly endearing as he evokes the tender awkwardness of a schoolboy’s first crush.
Niarchos draws upon his own experiences in therapy as he explores the humour in therapy culture, cleverly highlighting its quirks and contradictions through a witty fast-paced script. This is most evident in the way Fotis’s inner voice fluctuates between a wise guide and an overly critical force, striking a delicate balance. Too much focus on the destructive force of the voice risks veering into a dark psychological drama; while too little emphasis makes it feel like a simple tale of a man receiving a cheat code to life. Unfortunately, Fotis’ final confrontation with his inner voice could have been delved into more deeply - it felt somewhat underwhelming for the film's most pivotal scene and diminished the impact of the build-up. Additionally, the films takeaway message of slowing down and doing what’s best for you, even to the detriment of your professional career, was lovely in theory but a little unrealistic and overly simplistic especially given Greece’s history of financial strain.
For an opening night feature at the Melbourne Greek Film Festival, Hear Who’s Talking was definitely an unconventional pick, especially against more high-profile films like Murderess and Animal, which have been strong contenders for major film awards. Ultimately, it’s a decent feel-good movie that entertains at times and drags in others, that had the potential to explore something deeper but chose a different path.
So if you’re into switch-off-and-enjoy movies, ruining professional relationships, hilarious flashback montages, and alcoholic priests, then Hear Who’s Talking is the film for you.
3 out of 5 simplistic endings.
Hear Who’s Talking screened as part of the 2024 Greek Film Festival. For tickets and more info, click here.