Small Crime

Small Crime
Directed by	Christos Georgiou
Written by	Christos Georgiou
Produced by	Thanassis Karathanos Christos Georgiou
Starring	Aris Servetalis Vicky Papadopoulou
Cinematography	Giorgos Giannelis
Edited by	Isabel Meier
Music by	Thanasis Papakonstantinou Kostantis Papakonstantinou
Production companies	Twenty Twenty Vision Lychnari Productions Bad Movies
Distributed by	Audio Visual (Germany) Neue Visionen (Greece)
Release dates	17 November 2008 (2008-11-17) (Thessaloniki International Film Festival) 2 April 2009 (2009-04-02) (Greece)
Running time	84 minutes
Countries	Greece Germany Cyprus
Language	Greek

Small Crime (Greek: Μικρό έγκλημα) is a 2008 Greek-German-Cypriot romantic crime comedy-drama film directed by Christos Georgiou, starring Aris Servetalis and Vicky Papadopoulou.

Plot

Leonidas, a young and ambitious police officer recently graduated from the academy, is assigned to the remote Aegean island of Thirassia. Disappointed by the lack of criminal activity, he spends his days performing mundane tasks such as issuing minor traffic tickets and monitoring nude bathers. His primary connection to the outside world is a morning television show hosted by Angeliki, an island native who moved to the city to become a celebrity.

The island's tranquility is disturbed when the body of Zacharias, the local drunk, is discovered at the base of a cliff. Although the local doctor and the police chief dismiss the death as a routine accident caused by Zacharias's intoxication, Leonidas suspects foul play. Driven by a desire for professional validation, he launches an unofficial murder investigation.

During his inquiry, Angeliki returns to the island to settle the affairs of the deceased, who is revealed to be her father. Leonidas and Angeliki form a romantic bond as he interviews the island's eccentric residents. His investigation reveals that several villagers harbor minor secrets and played tangential, unintentional roles in the events leading up to the fall.

Leonidas eventually discovers that there was no singular murderer; instead, Zacharias's death was the result of a chain of "small crimes" and negligences committed by various community members. Realizing the nuanced nature of life and justice on the island, Leonidas abandons his ambitions for a high-profile city career. He chooses to remain on Thirassia, integrating into the community and pursuing his relationship with Angeliki.

Cast

• Aris Servetalis as Leonidas
• Vicky Papadopoulou as Aggeliki
• Rania Oikonomidou as Anastasia Pleiades
• Antonis Katsaris as Zacharias
• Errikos Litsis as Iordanis
• Evangelia Andreadaki as Victoria
• Eleni Kokkidou as Antigone
• Arto Apartian as Panagiotis
• Myzafer Zifla as Mouzafer

Reception

Alissa Simon of Variety wrote that the film "humorously captures the mentality of a small island community."

Yolande Cole of The Georgia Straight wrote that Georgiou "draws memorable performances from both Servetalis and Papadopoulou, succeeding in producing a unique and charming comedy, set against the backdrop of a spectacular location."

External links

• Small Crime at IMDb