Bearcave Review (Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2025)

Remember the fun Marie I and Marie II had while playing with the world (and each other) in Věra Chytilová’s Daisies (1966)? Argiro and Anneta bring similar intentions to Bearcave, the most distinctively Greek take on tradition and subsequent feminist waves you’ll find this year.

Set in the rural northwest of the country, the two women are naturally more constrained than the Maries, still nursing goats and renouncing patriarchy’s shame. When Anneta becomes pregnant, a seed of the village’s pride, the local cop, Argiro takes her to the mountains to breathe in the view, share a well-rolled joint, and probe old tales of a bear hiding in a cave, haunting the conscience of past generations to this day. Soon, Anneta must leave for the nearest city, falling into the lifestyle expected of a cop’s wife. She finds herself sitting beside his loose-minded, eccentric mother, watching television day after day. Argiro, meanwhile, follows her father’s wishes in selling off the farm and herd, sitting tight in her uncomfortable female skin.

Across three chapters that partition the story, Argiro (Chara Kyriazi) and Anneta (Pamela Oikonomaki) share an effortless chemistry, something that never needs to be questioned. It’s simply a pleasure to witness. The sensual atmosphere surrounding them is disarmingly charming and never relies on sex scenes to persuade even the most restrained or conservative viewer. Only at the end of Chapter I, devoted to Argiro, do we see them kiss (by a church shrine, as if seeking a blessing.)

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Chapter II rewinds events through a brisk, playful edit, revealing that both women have met in perfect symmetry. Anneta comes from a family of narrow ambitions: though they might not condemn her extravagant fashion (think Rosalia’s glamorous athleticism), their hopes rest solely on her union with the cop. The deus ex machina here is her quiet grandmother, a figure who revives a secret kept among women. Nettle porridge is bitter, but the next day no one is left pregnant. Here lies a recipe of solidarity whose effects may be uncertain but linger as a potent metaphor for pain, sacrifice, and underground resistance. (Do not try it at home, unless under the supervision of a Greek mountain woman.) As for the cop, the camera never bothers with his face, effortlessly raising a middle finger to a patriarchal generation still persisting in the Balkans.

In the third chapter (titled The Eggs, for reasons still unclear to me), the creators seem to lose track of sharpness and aesthetic clarity. The story drifts through stretches that add little beyond a gossiping appetite, leaving its characters somewhat defenseless. The script leans into a streetwise register, fitting for those with worn guts, yet it suffers from awkwardly prolonged interpretations.

So be it. After all, what’s a wild ride without a few risks in the turns? Bearcave remains sexy and progressive, drawing attention to the stunning nature of an undermined, stoic land—even if bigotry still lies in wait.

Bearcave was initially conceived from a titular short film in 2023. The feature version was first screened at Giornate degli Autori, Venice Film Festival, and had its national premiere at the 2025 Thessaloniki International Film Festival as part of the International Competition section.

Bearcave (Arkoudotrypa), 127’ / Dir. & screenplay: Stergios Dinopoulos & Krysianna Papadakis / With: Chara Kyriazi, Pamela Oikonomaki, Lefteris Tsatsis / Cinematography: Arsinoi Pilou / Production: Pame Ligo Collective, Pucci Productions / Greece, United Kingdom
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