PAUSE

A blackly comedic drama about an overworked and repressed Cypriot housewife who – once she hits menopause – dreams of violent rebellion against her sexist husband.

Cypriot director Tonia Mishiali's striking debut feature centres on a working-class housewife going through menopause and suddenly fed up with the everyday oppression of domestic servitude. Stella Fyrogeni is marvellous as the subdued, tragically stifled Elpida, who chafes at the exhausting drudgery and emptiness of her life and actively fantasises about violence against her brutishly uncaring and frequently cruel husband. Spiked with black humour, the banality of this domestic drama escalates to a satisfying final twist.