A world run by men on steroids waving guns doesn’t sound too dystopian nowadays. But Greek filmmaker Evi Kalogiropoulou has a way of transforming the settings of her homeland into film worlds that are both grimy and sensual at the same time. She did so in the Cannes Critics’ Week short film On Xerxes’ Throne (2022), where a ban on physical touch at a shipyard ensured that the workers’ desires would catch fire – reminiscent in tone and libidinal energy of Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. Gorgonà is Kalogiropoulou’s highly anticipated feature debut, world-premiering in Venice’s International Film Critics’ Week, and she doesn’t exactly play it safe with it. Evoking the mythical figure of the title, the film extends the oppressive framework to a whole impoverished standalone city at the end of days, where food is scarce, men are in power, and the only thing that counts is petrol.

In the opening shot, a woman stands tall on a raft, wearing her long, black hair loose, as the gold-chain belts on her sparkle in the golden-hour sun – it’s an image of an offering that welcomes the viewer into the world of Gorgonà, as Eleni (Aurora Marion) has been traded by her parents for a can of petrol. She now belongs to Nikos (Christos Loulis) and his men, in charge of the huge refinery in town. There’s something irrevocably lost already in the rusty, derelict shipyards the film is shot in, and the sentimental Greek ballads that punctuate its narrative seem to mourn a world that’s long gone.

Against this impotent backdrop, the men train their bodies and their aim incessantly, their skin sunburnt and their physiques firm, and the guns a phallic extension of their muscular arms. Maria (Melissanthi Mahut) is the only woman in the clan, and Nikos wants her to succeed him, her resilience and hawk-eyed stare evident in every move she makes. There are, of course, other women, but they sit comfortably on the sidelines – servers, shopkeepers, cheerleaders – the help to a group of rowdy, testosterone-fuelled men. But Maria and Eleni stand out for different reasons. Even if the latter can easily blend in with the other girls when it comes to looks (we’re talking snakeskin, animal patterns, glitter and neon colours to match the large hoop earrings and smoky eyes), her slightly arrogant demeanour suggests a tinge of lust every time she vies for Maria’s attention.

Kalogiropoulou co-wrote the script with Louise Groult, and the result is a tense, action-packed film where the death drive and the sex drive merge into one, pulsating whole. There is a supernatural element to it all, as elegantly hinted at by the movie’s title and foreshadowed by the image of Maria in bed with her long hair spread over the pillow like Medusa’s, and it fits the journey of emancipation perfectly. Gorgonà has a relatively elaborate plot, weaving the character backstories into a psychologically convincing constellation of familial trauma and libido, but at its heart lies a simple, timeless truth – even in the most stagnant patriarchal order, women will always find each other. Intimately.

Gorgonà was produced by Greece’s Neda Film in co-production with Blue Monday (France), Kidam (France) and Blonde (Greece). The film’s international sales are handled by Playtime Group.