Attenberg 2012

Marina, a 23-year-old woman lacking sexual experience, resides with her terminally ill father, Spyros, in an industrial coastal town in Greece. She works as a gofer and driver at the local steel mill, finding solace in the wildlife documentaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the music of Suicide, and the sex education provided by her friend Bella.

Despite her struggles with social interactions, the bonds she shares with her father and Bella reveal a depth of warmth and understanding. As Spyros reflects on life and the inevitability of death, he muses, > “Man has designed ruins with mathematical accuracy…” underscoring the fate that awaits most architecture over time. He casts a cynical gaze on their nation, noting, “We (Greece) went from sheep to bulldozers…”

When a mysterious engineer arrives in town and begins working at the steel mill, Marina embarks on her first sexual relationship, though she chooses to keep it a secret. She confides in Spyros and later in Bella, provoking Spyros to question, “If you do not want me to meet him, why are you telling me about him?”

As Spyros faces his impending death, Marina makes a heartfelt request for Bella to spend the night with her father, wanting to grant him a final comfort. Bella, showing her compassion, agrees to this request. Meanwhile, Marina’s relationship with the engineer deepens.

The film culminates with Spyros’s passing, leading to a poignant farewell. His body is sent to Germany for cremation. In the final scenes, Marina and Bella take Spyros’s speedboat out to sea to scatter his ashes, a symbolic gesture that marks their farewell before they return to the steel mill and part ways, each carrying forward the memories of their beloved father.