Having managed to somehow miss seeing the film Z (1969) over the course of decades, I remedied that tonight. Perhaps the years of hearing about it peripherally had built up my expectations. Perhaps it’s the fact I now take for granted the possibility of the sort of police and military cover-up pictured in the film is entirely credible. Whatever.

Don’t get me wrong: I liked the film and found it compelling. It held my attention and I was engrossed in the mentality of the government attempting to “protect” itself from “subversive” ideas and people. Sound familiar?

The story is directly based on a real event in Greece in 1963, although the director and production were at pains to make the characters and locations non-specific. That is, the film takes place in a deliberately general Mediterranean city and country with characters who are often referred to by their job or function rather than name (the Senator, the Colonel, etc.)

Its anti-authoritarian message is important. Look it up if you haven’t seen it.