KOSTAS

Kostas, a Greek journalist, works as a taxi driver in Melbourne. Whilst seeing off a friend at the airport, he notices Carol, who is farewelling a friend. Later, she hires his cab and he takes her to her house.

Some days later, pretending that she had ordered a taxi, Kostas persuades Carol to go to a Greek restaurant with him. They dance, they meet again, and slowly, they move into an affair. As their relationship progresses, Carol is increasingly attracted by Kostas' vitality, but his emotional intensity puts a barrier between them. During a dinner party at Carol's home, Martin one of the guests, infuriates Kostas with his aggressive and uninformed talk about the conflict in Cyprus. Provoked to the limit, Kostas knocks Martin down and the party breaks up.

Believing that the difference in their background is too great to overcome, Carol refuses to see Kostas again. He cannot accept her rejection of him and confronts her at home and at the gallery where she works.

Distraught by his loss of her and by the news of his mother's death, Kostas leaves for Greece, just as Carol is trying to make contact with him again. After a confrontation with his cousin, Anna, Carol rushes to the airport, minutes before Kostas boards his plane. In the confusion and noise of the departure hall, Carol comes to realise for the first time that she loves him.

Paul Cox

Born in Holland in 1940, came to Australia in 1963. A photographer of international reputation, Paul Cox has made numerous short films since 1965.

Features: Illumination (1976), Inside Looking Out (1977), Kostas (1979).