Plot: Documentary/portrait of one of the most important Greek essayists.
In this portrait of Kostis Papagiorgis we follow the story of the essayist's life from his birth in 1947 to his death in 2014, discovering the way his writings develop and how his character is reflected in them.
All those who meet Kostis Papagiorgis through reading his books find in him a good friend, a teacher, a guide, a perfect interlocutor, a comrade. Even though he never appeared on television avoiding self-exhibition like the plague, he was very well known and his appeal to the public has always been great. Behind his sharpness and irony, as he wrote mostly on the negative aspects of things, he was a warm and tender man, and this shone through in his work. Through his acute inner gaze and self-knowledge, Kostis Papagiorgis, who is probably the most important essayist of contemporary Greece, meditates deeply on the Human Condition.
In the tremendous multitude of the subjects of his books he generously shares his experiences with his readers. Whether he is discussing extreme emotions, passions, jealousy, misanthropy, agoraphobia, murder, football, or 19th century literature, the Greek war of Independence, Plato, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Freud, Derrida, Mallarmé, Papadiamandis or so many other topics, we all recognize ourselves in his unconventional approach. Through his perceptive insight, he talks about human beings, about the present, about this century.
Actually his books are more alive today than ever.
Extracts of his books are read by the actor Akilas Karazissis, while Argyris Pandazaras reads extracts of his notes and his rare interviews in the press. Maria Panourgia also appears alongside them.
Renowned intellectuals, artists, relatives or ordinary working people add their own touches to the portrait and somehow confirm, in their own way, the truth of his writings. Among them are the writer Zyranna Zateli , the publishers Thanassis Kastaniotis and Julia Tsiakiri, the poet Nikos Panagiotopoulos, the philosophers Stelios Ramfos and Christos Yannaras, Kostis' wife Rania Stathopoulou, the singer Orfeas Peridis, the essayist Antonis Zervas and many others.
In an effort to present an image as complete as we could of his complex personality, this documentary is a jigsaw puzzle, or rather a musical score, composed of Kostis' words and the images that his writings inspire.
The documentary Kostis Papagiorgis, the sweetest misanthrope has received the Greek Film Critics Association Award in the 20th Documentary Festival of Thessaloniki 2018
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