In this humorous fake documentary full of humour, based on the large number of “ghost workers” in the Greek civil service, we meet Haroula, who has not seen one of her sons, Panos, for two days. The disappearance leads to an appearance, that of a film crew that comes looking for Panos… because he has been accused of fraud. What follows is a metaphorical wild-goose hunt, in which Haroula takes her eldest son, Lefteris, and his wheelchair and sets off in search of the truth.
Black Stone begins with the following message: “there are approximately 602,301 civil servants in Greece today, of which 48,646 are ‘missing’ after being hired by unknown public administration bodies.” That said, we are left to observe a series of empty desks on which papers are piled up and telephones are ringing in the void. As a whistleblower mockumentary director, Spiros Jacovides goes to “investigate” this corruption scheme, flagging a “ghost public servant” and searching – up to the last consequences – for his whereabouts. But the finger pointing quickly falls on deaf ears. And the film becomes a hilarious portrait of the transformations of Greek society based on the reconfiguration of the most traditional of institutions, family. Stone by stone, everything is turned upside down: machismo, racism, and ableism. It is the re-founding of a country seen as a generational transition. (Ricardo Vieira Lisboa)
