In a suburb of Athens, Magda (Nena Mendi) and her husband Manolis (Alexandros Antonopoulos) are the parents of two adults: handsome 20 year-old son Christos (Yannis Tsimitselis), who is studying at the local college, and less attractive daughter Giota (Jeannie Papadopoulou). The mother runs a bakery while caring for her invalid husband injured in a car crash that killed a daughter. Giota, who still lives in the family home, is married to Stelios (Alexis Georgoulis), while hunky Christos has a significantly more interesting love life. He has a girlfriend and is also enjoying discreet affairs with both his chemistry professor from school, Vicky (Maria Kavoyianni), and her spouse, Yorgos (Akylas Karazisis), a powerful local real estate developer.
Giota and Stelios are keen on Magda selling some property she owns, which Yorgos wants to use for a fast-food franchise. This sale could mean a major windfall for the family, but Magda doesn't want to part with her land, which has been owned by her people for years and has great meaning for her. Stelios has learned about Christos' relationship with Yorgos, and he attempts to use this knowledge to extort Christos into helping change Magda's mind. But Stelios doesn't know that Christos has some ideas of his own about what makes for the best use of the land. The plot is convoluted but basically boils down to the development of a blackmail plan that will gain money for the land the family owns. The lives of all the characters are altered once greed consumes them and there are discoveries, a death, betrayals, twists and feuds that end in a surprising manner.
This violent Greek drama about a mother attempting to keep her crumbling dysfunctional family together in the wake of tragic accident is a dark soap opera with a strong cast and a fast moving story. It is both admired and hated for its laissez-faire attitude towards sex, its fruity language, and its black comedy. You'll love it or hate it. Nikos Kypourgos comosed the original music. Both Thanasis Papathanasiou and Michalis Reppas wrote the screenplay and directed. In Greek with English subtitles. The English title is "Blackmail Boy", released in 2005.
