Premiered at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG makes for the debut full length feature film of Greek director Haris Vafeiadis. The film consists of a mixture of black comedy and psychological drama that carries in its main core the character studies of its two main protagonists.
The narrative that crosses between the two protagonists tries to explore their psyche in comparison with the circumstances life throws at them. It keeps an unnecessary realistic tone that, in many ways, tries too hard and, thus, creates a world of stereotypical and cliché social divisions to establish the differences - that are brought down by their common inner odyssey or so it insinuates - between the two main characters. The characters get lost in their own ambition for retribution in order to experience their personal catharsis - and when they do reach that point, the payoff feels like there wasn't really ever something that purposeful or sorrowful in the first place - which makes it hard for the audience to connect with them and really care about their personal stories.
LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG lacks in several aspects, mainly in the angle that it tries to approach and establish its themes. Like it doesn't really knows what it wants to communicate with its audience. The change of the mood from drama to black comedy didn't really work really well here either, so as it would seem like a more nuanced metaphor that expands in the general psyche of the story and its characters.
On the good side, when a scene wanted to create tension in its environment and in its characters it really did so. The performances stayed true to the explorative psychological turmoil of the characters. All in all, there were equal aspects in which the film went right and wrong, however this is exactly what makes it not a well-balanced film.
