Back before Hollywood glossied up the genre, the Brothers Grimm published fairy tales that were dark, strange, and kind of unsettling. Son of Sofia finds its roots in this original fairy tale tradition.
When people call movies fairy tales, they’re usually talking about the Disney kind: a delightful story of a scrappy hero or heroine who finds their happy ending. Son of Sofia, from Greek director Elina Psykou, is undoubtedly a fairy tale, but it’s of an entirely different ilk. Back before Hollywood glossied up the genre, the Brothers Grimm published fairy tales that were dark, strange, and kind of unsettling. Son of Sofia finds its roots in this original fairy tale tradition.
The year is 2004. Young Misha is traveling to reunite with his mother in Athens, where the city is burgeoning with excitement for the Summer Olympics. At first, Misha’s mother tells him that they’ll be moving in with an elderly gentleman because she’s taken a job as his caretaker. But Misha soon finds out that the man is no employer—in truth, he’s Misha’s new father.
Things are not quite right in Misha’s unfamiliar, new home. An eerie foreboding hangs in the halls, and the taxidermied animals seem like they could step down from their mounts. “Speak Greek!” Misha’s father insists. But perhaps he has Misha’s best interests at heart?
Though every coming-of-age story is startling in its own way, this one veers off into unimaginable territory.