Every political ideology seems ideal on print. One could find it quite difficult to put what's prophesied on paper, into practice. A cultural blueprint - such as the political tracts that make up Marx and Engels' Communist Manifesto - can hold the required plans for a promising societal structure, but one must find the necessary means - and support - to carry out the complicated task of restructuring.
Each ideology is made up of collections of opinions, ideas and dreams, all packaged into one neat bundle, then used as a frame to design the perfect functioning society.
Communism, Fascism, Socialism, Conservatism, Libertarianism, Christian Democracy. All have a clear idea of what it takes to reach the proverbial utopia. That clear idea - embodied in a belief - attests a thorough and logical explanation, which is fossilized in the political doctrine's very core - and therefore stands completely uncontested by any other ideal. The purpose is to, in simple terms, make society happy and content, while having every social element of the country functioning at its most efficient rate, and thus producing a great nation.
Being sure of something is extremely powerful. Now, imagine a group of people being uncannily certain that if things were to work in a certain way, everyone would be better off. Wouldn't it then, make logical sense, to refute all beliefs that contradict one's own? Of course. Fight the great fight. Oppose all evil forces that want to bring down the right way to live, the correct way, that one and one's nation should function as - to reach paradise.
Then comes in a foreign element, the bloodcurling menace, to disrupt everything. An intruding political alien body barges in, threatening to corrupt the good people and brainwash them into following a corrupt ideal, which would no doubt have disastrous results.
The course of action is to destroy such an element - tactfully. All for the good of the people, of course.
Yves Montand - the famed French actor - personifies Lambrakis, a greek anti-fascist politician who is "accidentally" killed by far right sympathizers, at a political rally. Right off, the who, what, where and why of the politician's death are questions whose answers are missing, leaving us completely in the dark.
Z, in ancient Greek, means "he lives". Lambrakis lives - his ideals, his fight to end oppression, to end a totalitarian regime that so routinely crushed any and all opposition, and that so tirelessly fought to maintain their power - clinging on to it by any means possible.
The movie, based on Vassilis Vassilikos' novel of the same name - is unnervingly revealing in its portrayal of corruption in the highest level of government, and its depiction of a frustrated people, who together form the catalyst for the impending crack-down of the ruling fascist government.
An investigator, is assigned to the case. Unlike everyone around him, he only seeks justice - leaving the political double-talk at the door - and promptly goes on a hunt to find the truth, and only that.
The film does an excellent job in revealing to us only what is revealed to the investigator. We're never ahead of the game, which makes for an intriguing tale.
As the crime unfolds, we delve deeper and deeper into a mix of corrupt personalities, fake alibis and hidden truths. And then, justice prevails. Or at least that's what we're led to believe. I'll let you answer that by yourselves.
This film could have been a documentary. I consider it an entertaining documentary. It dishes out hard truths which are shocking to take and that ultimately make you take a hard look at yourself and the world around you.
It makes you ask yourself: What kind of world do you live in?
But the better question is: What kind of world do you want to live in?
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