Social Decay (1932)

Unable to eke out an existence in the faceless capital of Greece, the impecunious but ambitious student from the province, Dinos, finds himself between a rock and a hard place. As a result, Dinos, forced to quit university, meanders through the city's bustling streets in search of a job, any job, and, by some miracle, he lands a position as an actor in a small Athenian troupe, where he has a chance encounter with the love of his life: the brilliant actress, Niki. However, as Niki gives in to the lascivious industrialist Michalis Stratakis' romantic advances, a life of misery and despair awaits broken and weary Dinos, who, eventually, finds solace in the company of the honest and hard-working men of Athens' Tobacco Workers' Union, who give him a reason to live. Now, Dinos can wipe the slate clean and start afresh; nevertheless, the police and the palpable threat of incarceration are ever-present. Can a single man alone fight the repulsive social decay?