Djam (2017)

Directed by: Tony Gatlif | 97 minutes | drama | Actors: Daphne Patakia, Simon Abkarian, Maryne Cayon, Kimon Kouris, Solon Lekkas, Yannis Bostantzoglou, Eleftheria Komi, Michalis Iatropoulos, Seray Yalçin, Panayotis Stathopoulos, Panayotis Katsabas, Ömer Parmak, Giorgos SÖkridis, Mustafan Skridis Giannis Dermetzoglou

Daphne Patakia just might become the next best thing. The Belgian-raised actress with Greek roots plays a role in Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Blessed Virgin’ (2019) and plays the title role and the stars of heaven in Tony Gatlif’s ‘Djam’ (2017). Djam is a young Greek woman who lives with her stepfather and his wife (not her mother) on the island of Lesbos. We get to know Djam when she dances and sings – without underwear but with a short skirt – and addresses her stepfather Kakourgos’ broken boat with love. That boat is the catalyst of the story. Kakourgos (Simon Abkarian) wants to stay close to his restaurant to keep the bailiffs at bay. Before the boat can be repaired, however, it needs an essential part, which must be collected in Istanbul. He sends Djam on his way, with fatherly advice, enough money and a number of assignments. What follows is a road movie in which Djam chooses her own path, sometimes fulfills the tasks imposed by Kakourgos and sometimes not, and meets different people.

In Turkey, for example, she soon becomes friends with the lost French girl Avril (Maryne Cayon). Avril wanted to help migrants at the Syrian border, along with her boyfriend, but he ran off with her money, passport and other belongings. Djam immediately takes Avril under her wing. For example, she tries to seduce a Turkish official with music and dance to give Avril her passport. The language is no barrier to the friendship, because Djam lived in Paris for a while, until her mother died and she returned to Greece with her stepfather. Rather, what is problematic is Djam’s almost schizophrenic behavior. She can shut out, chase or humiliate Avril from one moment to the next, while she’s more of a pussy to her. Avril, however, continues to follow her faithfully.

The music stream rebetiko plays an important role in ‘Djam’, as music has an influence in all of Tony Gatlif’s films. It is the music of Djam’s mother, and she has also made it her own. On the baglamas (a small type of lute) she plays deftly and full of passion and when others make music she shows without hesitation how well she can belly dance. That shameless character is a striking characteristic of Djam, a quality that rubs off a bit in the story. Djam can be very feminine, when she dances for example, but sometimes she also acts like a boat worker. Without embarrassment, she pulls her pants down at a station because “something doesn’t feel right down there” and lets Avril shave her pubic area. Because the relationship of the two is not really deepened beyond the friendly, those scenes feel a bit redundant and uncomfortable. The underlying theme is more impressive: that of the economic malaise and the refugee problem. In a subtle but heart-touching scene, Avril is shown on Lesvos just how much she would be needed in her intended mission.

Fans of Tony Gatlif’s previous films can’t go wrong with ‘Djam’: ‘Djam’ is brimming with energy, bursting at the seams with music, has a fine cast of actors and takes full advantage of the attraction of the great lead actress.