There is a scene in “Beckett,” directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, where the protagonist John David Washington – son of Denzel Washington – while being chased, arrives at the edge of a fathomless cliff. The wild, rocky landscape that lies in front of him, marked by the strip of a fast-flowing river, could exist in different places of the world; however, our mind goes directly to Epirus. A hard and timeless place where nature has the upper hand, often making human adventures small and insignificant.

“In the movie, you can witness the beauty of this place. In a way, it gives the beat of hope to the hero, even in the most difficult of times. Tsepelovo is one of my favorite places. Nature is so beautiful there, and the people so polite,” observes the African-American actor, whose popularity seems to be gaining momentum in the last few years, with main roles in Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” and Netflix’s “Malcolm and Marie.”

The popular streaming service is behind the production of “Beckett” as well, being Netflix’s first production to be filmed wholly in Greece. However, as far as the content of the movie is concerned, we are not able to reveal much, besides the fact that it is a thriller with an American tourist at the center of the plot, who, after a tragic accident, becomes the target of a ruthless manhunt with strong political undertones.  

“The story of Beckett has to do with a next-door type of guy, who, while he is on vacation in Greece, suddenly finds himself at the heart of a great conspiracy,” notes director Ferdinando Filomarino in a trailer, uploaded yesterday on Youtube. Besides Washington, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) and Vicky Krieps (“Phantom Thread”) star in the movie, as well as several well-known Greek actors in secondary roles, such as George Pirpasopoulos, Lena Kitsopoulou, and Makis Papadimitriou.

Of course, what is of particular interest to us are the locations where the film was shot. Starting from wintertime in Delphi, we reach Kalampaka, Ioannina, Metsovo, and the river Arachthos, before crossing the Rio–Antirrio Bridge on the way to Athens, where the action escalates. “We explored lesser-known areas of Greece; the local crew helped us a lot in finding them, as well as to understand how to capture them correctly on camera,” Filomarino explains in the Youtube trailer.

Panos Koronis, who plays the corrupt police officer chasing Beckett, agrees with him. “You see another side of Greece, that which is mountainous. Most fitting for cinematic scenery. However, it would have been almost impossible to film there without the cooperation and hospitality of the locals.” Indeed, here the postcard image of Greece, with the islands and the sun, is absent – an image that is quite widespread overseas. On the contrary, we have autumnal and wintery mountainous landscapes, before we end up in an Athens that dances to the beat of “social tensions.”

And there, however, we will not see the Acropolis and Monastiraki, but the graffiti of Metaxourgeio, the bridge of Poulopoulos in Petralona, and Syntagma being set on fire by violent demonstrations. “It was interesting in itself to be in Athens and to be chased in such a city. I’m proud of how Greece has been portrayed in our story,” said John David Washington.

“Beckett” will be available on Netflix from the 13th of August.

This article was previously published in Greek at kathimerini.gr.