Maria one day decides to leave behind her life, which no longer makes any sense to her. From carefree days on the beach and her passionate love affair, the film shows her descent into nervous breakdown. With three young children to look after, her wheelchair-bound mother, her absent husband and the country’s economic situation, Maria’s personal crisis explodes in an impressive crescendo, a destructive blast of emotions and irrational acts.
Focusing on a woman forced into making radical changes by reason of economic and social pressures, A Blast is a devastatingly personified portrait of a generation of Greeks affected by both financial and existential crises.
"What the melodrama does is to force us, through the excess use of passion, of emotional extortion, to see the truth. It’s the story of a woman who decides to change her life radically. She fights against all the people she loves, and even herself. Why? Because she wakes up one day and no longer recognises herself. The film is not based on a true story about a particular person. But it stems from the experiences of a whole generation deeply affected by the financial crisis our country has been going through in recent years." (Syllas Tzoumerkas)
Syllas Tzoumerkas
Born in 1978 in Thessaloniki, Tzoumerkas studied theatre as well as film and television directing at the University of Athens. After enjoying success with his first shorts, Tzoumerkas contributed to numerous documentary TV-shows, and had a brief acting career. His first feature film, Homeland, commanded attention at the 2010 Venice Film Festival and received the Greek Film Academy Best Newcomer Award.
filmography
1999 Ta matia pou trone (The Devouring Eyes) (short)
2002 Vrohi (Rain) (short)
2010 Hora proelefsis (Homeland)
2014 I ekriksi (A Blast)