PHEDON PAPAMICHAEL - director

Arcadia Lost is an opportunity to create a truly breathtaking visual feast that will connect audiences with a Greece that is vastly different from the holiday island stereotype. The country becomes, in many ways, a metaphor for the many possibilities of life, both positive and negative.

Sye has come to relate to his world through the lens of his camera as a way to keep himself insulated from the emotional realities of his banal existence. Charlotte has found the power in her sexuality still, her angst is more than just the average teenager’s; it stems from a realization that only by surpassing her physically can she truly become free. When the car they travel in rolls into the Mediterranean, they begin to journey through what is essentially the Greece of their minds, a place of fantastic possibility wherein they can embrace the possibilities of life and spirituality that lies beyond life. Benerji, the wanderer who befriends them, is in many ways a spirit-guide, allowing each of the teens to discover truths they were unaware they already knew.

In the end, we will come to realize that Charlotte and Sye might not have gone anywhere, yet they were able to make discoveries about themselves that amount to great journeys. Like the cinematic experience itself, what matters is one’s willingness to explore.