Forever

Two people, alone in a desolate city. Costas and Anna in Athens. Costas is an engine driver. The trains he drives travel from one end of the city to the other, following the traces of the ancient rivers that were paved over and made into roads. Anna sells ferry boat tickets at Piraeus, the city’s main harbour, the place where the rivers once flowed into the sea. Costas knows Anna. He sees her every morning, waiting on the platform for his train to take her from Thiseion to Piraeus; and he sees her every afternoon, when his train takes her from Piraeus back to Thiseion. Anna doesn’t know Costas. From the window of the train car she looks out at the same desolate city every day, without knowing who’s driving the train. When something happens to turn Costas’s life upside down, he decides to reach out from inside his solitude and talk to Anna.

Directed by Margarita Manda, Forever leans on a strong ensemble — Kostas Filippoglou, Anna Mascha, Christos Dimas — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2014.