Abstract:

In order to understand the contemporary Greek cinema after 2000, it is necessary to take a closer look at the social, political, cultural and economic developments of that period. The movement, which is called the Greek new wave or the Greek weird wave by international critics and academics, includes 'weird' movies shot after the economic crisis in the country in 2008. Although the films in question are not directly related to the crisis, they reflect the social trauma caused by the crisis. The weird character of the movement is related to the fact that the films follow different form and content strategies from traditional narratives. This study, on the other hand, argues that the Greek new wave can be considered not only as weird but also as a ‘cinema of victimization’. In addition to the financial and moral difficulties caused by the economic crisis for the young generation, the concepts of ‘fatherland, religion and family’, which are accepted as the founding values of Greek society, also play a role in today's traumas. Therefore, the study aims to show that the theme of victimization is among the distinctive characteristics of the Greek new wave, based on the idea that the new wave films tell the stories of individuals victimized by extreme nationalism, traditional moral values and patriarchal structure. In this context, firstly, the common characteristics of the films of the Greek new wave are discussed. In the second part, eight films selected among the important examples of the Greek new wave for the purpose of the study were examined through the theme of victimization. Descriptive analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was conducted in the study. As a result of the research, it was seen that the concept of victimization could be used as a thematic framework for the Greek new wave.

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