Reviews
“Here, the cinematography is simply beautiful… Daina Papadaki showed great sense of direction overall, from the picture to the acting. The theme of "suicidal" is tackled in a dark humorous way, with tasteful dialogues that will have you smile from beginning to end. A MUST SEE, if you can grab it on their festival run.”
Chloë Bellande (film critic) - Blue Infinity Films
“...The existential emptiness and the contemporary social neuroses are themes that magnetize in 5 Ways 2 Die. The film could have been a weepy melodrama but it is a brilliant short dark comedy of 16 minutes..."
Iacovos Gogakis (film critic) - Film Magazine Screeneye, 24 August 2014
"...From the opening you know you’re in accomplished and thoughtful filmmaking hands, and the film stays technically strong throughout. Overall, it’s a skillful bit of filmmaking, with an effectively intriguing narrative."
Mark Bell (film critic, Slamdance Film Festival former assoc. producer) - Film Threat Magazine, 30 August 2014
"Quirky. Comical. Suicidal. Homicidal. Dark. Delightful. Ina pleasing and enjoyable way, death takes center stage in this short with twists and turns around devious and dark corners as we follow a man whose actions and attitude emote tendencies of suicide. But is it all as it appears to be? Through nary a word, the main character aimlessly trudges through his medial tasks while the threat (or invitation) of death lurks around every bend. This short very quickly draws you in with cleaver hints as to what is happening without spelling it out for you, allowing for the mystery and intrigue to build throughout. Admittedly I was very surprised by the finale and the filmmakers very graciously "fill in the gaps" at the credits prepare to roll. 5 Ways 2 Die had me dying from laughter and surprise and this impressive short is worth two watches. Well constructed, well executed, well thought out and told, 5 Ways 2 Die is a living testament of what quick storytelling should be like. Ingenious! Don't die without seen this one!"
Terrence Faulkner (film critic) - The Focused Filmographer, 3 September 2014
"...Daina Papadaki's black comedy from Cyprus, yes Cyprus, is 15-minutes of delightfully fun storytelling with stellar lensing from D.P. Sofronis Sofroniou that perfectly complements Papadaki's melancholic yet humorous tones. It's always a bold decision to take a lighter approach to a potentially darker subject, but Papadaki's approach is one with a perfect touch in virtually every moment of the film... 5 Ways to Die is intelligent, inventive, original, and beautifully constructed with a top notch performance from lead Michalis Marinos as Makis, a seemingly suicidal man unable to commit to a way of actually following through. A veteran of theater, stage, and cinema, Marinos doesn't just use his dialogue perfectly but it's a delight watching his physical performance unfold."
Richard Propes (film critic) - The Independent Critic, 8 April 2015
"Daina Papadaki as a director of the film has scored full marks holding the surprise until the end is not easy. Although it is the greatness of Fanos Christophides’s script, converting that greatness visually is an art that Diana seems to have mastered.
A strong script can go bad when casting goes wrong but 5 Ways To Die has the best actors. Michalis Marinos is the main lead and we could not imagine anyone doing a better job than him. Andreas Araouzos as pharmacist, Effie Papatheodorou as old woman, Kristie Papadopoulou as tailor and Stela Fyrogeni as wife have given an extraordinary performances even they appeared for a short duration on screen.
The three icing on this velvet cake are the camera, editing and music. The shot of Maki shaving is a best example for proving cinematography is not only covering the action it could add more to the film, kudos to Sofronis Sofroniou. Editing, by Emilios Avraam, has narrated the story in such a way that the audience were hinted about the surprise yet not revealing it entirely. Music by Stavros Makris has enhanced the comics on screen so well without taking any attention away from it.
A thorough entertainer engaging us throughout."
Saravanakumar Sridhar (film critic) - Click Flick
“...If you’re a Hitchcock fan, I’m just gonna say The Trouble with Harry. Not that it’s anything like it. It is just that wonderful tone, a tone that we don’t too often see very much anymore either…I instantly fell in love with it...And this film comes from Cyprus, a country with literally ZERO film industry whatsoever!! So the fact that this is not only from a country with nothing whatsoever in the way of film…AND the fact that it’s from a female director, it just makes it so much cooler!! To come out with something this good as well…this chick has skills!! “
Jennifer Cooper (Jennifer’s Bodies Film Festival creative director)
"5 Ways 2 Die is a blackly comic tale of a man’s varied and continually thwarted efforts to kill himself, while also meticulously planning the funeral he knows is coming. Limited perspective can cast a wide illusion, and while the credits rolled key moments of the film were retold with slight additions, thus ingeniously altering the significance of everything you think you’ve just seen."
Andrew Marshall (film critic) - Starburst Magazine, 13 March 2014
“Cypriot entry 5 Ways 2 Die is the deserving winner of the shorts category. It boasts highly accomplished cinematographic techniques, superb lighting and a depth of field that helps to draw you further into this enthralling, macabre little film... When it comes, the twist is both gleeful and grim, and will leave you cackling at its bleak victory and wondering how you didn’t see it coming.”
Tom Bruce (film critic) - MOVIE QUIBBLE, 21 May 2014
“The Greek short film 5 ways to die, by Daina Papadaki, will show us how to mess with life, death and humour…”
14th Lanzarote International Film Festival team
“If you want a philosophical brain teaser with a sense of humor this is a short film you need to watch. Great twist...well written plot and this reminds me that we are universal in our struggles and behavior...”
Paulina L. (IMDB reviewer)
“A great short film by a visionary young director!”
Soteris Phoraris (IMDB reviewer)
© 2013 Daina Papadaki. All rights reserved. Designed by Fanos Christophides.