1 minute read
The Summer With Carmen...
from GNI MAG ISSUE 66
by GNI MAG
The Summer with Carmen is the debut film from director Zacharias Mavroeidis. It follows two gay best friends, Demos (Yorgos Tsiantoulas) and Nikitas (Andreas Labropoulos), as they decide to collaborate on a new film project inspired by a pivotal summer they shared two years prior.
That summer, Demos was going through a painful breakup with his boyfriend of four years, Panos (Nikolaos Mihas), after Panos impulsively got a dog named Carmen. As Demos and Nikitas revisit writing about those events, the film fluidly moves between time periods, taking a meta-approach in showing their creative process unfold.
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The story explores themes of masculinity, sexuality, and the insecurities and compromises in pursuing romantic relationships. With a template of catharsis through creativity, the two friends gain new perspectives on their past experience and fluctuating understanding of each other.
While a comedy at its core, the film has an authentic charm in its deliberations on how gay men discern what they truly want versus societal expectations. It provides a refreshing portrayal of the complexities in the platonic yet sustaining bonds between gay male friends, and their dogs.
Theatrical release date: 28th February 2025
THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN DIRECTED BY ZACHARIAS MAVROEIDIS Starring Yorgos Tsiantoulas, Andreas Lampropoulos
