Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Suntan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 27, 2017

Winner of Best International Feature Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Argyris Papadimitropoulos' "Suntan" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with director Argyris Papadimitropoulos; deleted scenes; and making of featurette. In Greek, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is over now

The tiny Greek island usually comes alive only for a couple of months during the summer when hordes of tourists flood its picturesque beaches. The majority of the visitors don’t even bother to look for hotels as there are simply not enough beds to rent and typically camp just outside of the main village. From time to time the chaotic traffic and especially the noise coming from their late-night parties can become quite overwhelming, but the locals rarely complain. This is the very best time of the year when they all make money to pay the bills and provide for their families during the long winter months.

The new doctor, Kostis (Makis Papadimitriou), arrives on the island just a few weeks before the tourist season officially begins. He is in his late thirties and slightly overweight -- exactly the type of single middle-aged man that would want to be in a big city where he can find plenty to do when he isn’t working. But Kostis is grateful that he has been given the job and is looking forward to settle down as quickly as he can. If he is patient, disciplined and smart perhaps in a few years from now he would be lucky to land a better job on a bigger island and begin a new chapter in his life with someone special.

The doctor remains focused on his job until he meets Anna (Elli Tringou), a tourist who has injured her leg while riding her moped. After he inspects her wounds he agrees to join Anna and her friends on a nearby beach, and later on attends a wild party where she flirts with him and he has a couple of extra drinks. The doctor likes the feeling so much that he quickly concludes that he shared a special moment with Anna and then routinely goes out looking for her. The ‘relationship’ progresses exactly as the doctor desires, but when Anna and her friends disappear for a week the most perfect summer of his life abruptly becomes his longest nightmare.

In the long featurette that is included on this release director Argyris Papadimitropoulos reveals that he has been to the beautiful island many times and that plenty of the emotions that Kostis struggles with are in fact part of his past. The director also confirms that the island has actually become more popular with tourists and the contrasts that are captured in his film are now even more dramatic. Both of these revelations are very important because the main story is as much about Kostis’ emotional collapse as it is about the island’s inability to preserve its identity.

The most unsettling part of the entire film is the bigger picture that emerges from it, which is that Kostis’ story is essentially a byproduct of a global market trend that seems irreversible. Indeed, what occurs in the village where he is employed is basically a small replica of the massive commercialization of countless resorts from the Black Sea Coast all the way to the Balearic Islands. In these places dreamers like Kostis who desire a piece of the ‘happiness’ that the tourists bring with them -- which is nothing more than a big illusion that is propped up by massive amounts of alcohol and a wide variety of drugs -- are in effect waiting to be triggered by the right experience before they eventually crash and burn in a similar fashion.

The film was shot with a mix of professional actors and amateurs that give it a wonderful authentic vibrancy and atmosphere. On the other hand, the panoramic vistas from the beaches are very carefully lensed and look indescribably elegant.

Suntan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in aspect ratio of 2.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Argyris Papadimitropoulos' Suntan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

This is the best looking contemporary film that I have seen from Eureka Entertainment's catalog in quite some time. Frankly, I think that it looks so impressive in high-definition that I would probably use it as 'reference' material if I were to test a new TV set or projector. This is not too surprising, however, because it was shot with the ARRI Alexa XT camera, and I have seen a couple of different films now that were done with it and they all looked equally striking. Indeed, in terms of depth and clarity some of the outdoor panoramic shots look like giant digital posters -- the quality is simply incredible. On the other hand, a lot the nighttime footage also boasts tremendous depth, which a few years ago was quite difficult to retain with the early ARRI cameras. Colors are lush and very natural, with plenty of beautiful nuances. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Suntan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Greek DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Greek LPCM 2.0 (with small portions of English). When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The film has a fully digital soundtrack, which means that the lossless 5.1 track is basically an exact replica of the original mix. I viewed the film with the 5.1 track and did some random comparisons with the 2.0 track and from what I heard they both have identical characteristics. If the 5.1 track offers some additional enhancements then I certainly was not able to identify them. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Suntan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Suntan. In Greek, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Deleted Scenes -
  
  1. Boogaloo
  2. Downhill
  3. Kalargyros
  4. Milu Pees
  5. Campring

• The Making of Suntan - presented here is a standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of Suntan, as well as cast and crew interviews. In Greek, with optional English subtitles. (18 min).

• Interview with Argyris Papadimitropoulos - in this video interview, director Argyris Papadimitropoulos discusses the origins of Suntan, the casting process, the on-location shoots, some of the main conflicts that are depicted in the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

Suntan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is easy to crush a man -- or a woman, for that matter. You give him hope and make him believe that he can have what he dreams of and be happy and then at the right time unceremoniously take it away from him. It is a proven formula that never disappoints. Suntan is about a young man whose entire life collapses with a bang when he allows himself to fall for a woman that plays with his feelings and then chooses to walk away from him, as well as about a romantic Greek island that has lost its identity while using its natural beauty to tease the seemingly endless hordes of tourists that visit it. I really liked this film and think that it is one of the best acquisitions that the folks at Eureka Entertainment have made this year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.