Writer and Director: Marc Fitoussi
A grand, Greek adventure, Marc Fitoussi’s film Two Tickets to Greece celebrates the tenacity of female friendship.
Presented as an odd couple, we first meet French teenagers Blandine and Magalie in 1989. Blandine’s parents are out for the night, the vodka is inexpertly chilled, and the girls’ favourite album is on repeat. The atmospheric sound of the 1988 hit The Big Blue is still firmly embedded in their imagination, a year after the film’s release. Both girls dream of visiting the Greek island in the film, Amorgos. They make plans, but life intervenes and the girls lose touch.
Thirty years later, Blandine (played by Olivia Cote) is stuck in a paralysing, post-divorce depression. Her son, Benji (Alexandre Desrousseaux) books them both on a holiday to visit Amorgos, but before they fly out, Blandine finds a compilation CD in the garage: a childhood gift from disco-loving Magalie. Knowing his mum won’t do anything herself, Benji finds Magalie (a great comic performance from Laure Calamy) on Facebook, inviting her to Amorgos. At first, the scheme seems destined to fall flat. Blandine, mired in grief for her lost life, is bitter and judgemental. Magalie has never really grown up, and lives a bohemian, “freeloading” existence in a tiny flat in Montmartre. But their Big Blue connection draws them together. Ultra-organised Blandine does not enjoy Magalie’s ‘relaxed’ approach to travel, and their journey takes a few unscheduled detours. They eventually land at Mykonos where Magalie’s friend, jewellery maker Bijou (an enjoyable French-speaking role for Kristin Scott Thomas) lives with Greek artist, Dimitris (Panos Koronis). Magalie eagerly throws herself into local life, and even Blandine’s closed-off persona begins to thaw.
While the set-up feels a little schlocky, Two Tickets to Greece delivers on its promise. Fitoussi gives us radiant vistas that will have you reaching for your passport. Santorini wows us with a guest appearance. But as the film progresses, Greece becomes the backdrop as Blandine and Magalie discover more about themselves, and their past.
The film has some really interesting things to say about nostalgia. The women’s relationship has been frozen since the 1980’s, and the temptation is to stay where it’s comfortable. While the girls’ teenage fantasy of Amorgos differs from reality, Magalie’s deep connection in disco music is initially suggested as her refusal to move forward, but it is instead a conscious decision to find joy and light heartedness in her adult life. Fitoussi encourages us to plug into those same emotions.
Two Tickets to Greece will have you drawing comparisons to other female-centric films based on Greek islands, but while this film’s joie de vivre vibe makes you think of Shirley Valentine or Mamma Mia, Two Tickets’ uniquely French flavour has a satiric edge that separates it from the crowd. Its clear-eyed depiction of female friendship, with its rivalries and complications, also creates a fuller picture of Blandine and Magalie’s relationship. There’s no quick fixes, but Fitoussi’s portrayal of these characters and their journey, is honest and truthful, but ultimately uplifting.
TwoTicketsToGreecein UK cinemas from 17 May.
The Reviews Hub Score:
A Greek grand adventure
