The autobiographical documentary Lesvia was written and directed by Greek filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou who was born on island of Lesvos and is an accomplished photographer, filmmaker, and writer. The film is a personal reflection of a time during the 80s and 90s when legions of lesbians from around the world gathered in the quaint village of Eressos on the island of Lesbos to socialize, live authentically and openly, and celebrate a shared lesbian “herstory” and culture. Throughout the film Hadjidimitriou utilizes archival footage, personal photos, as well as present day interviews, and fragments of Sappho’s poetry to illustrate the historical and cultural significance of lesbian culture of Eressos.
Sappho, or the spirit of the Greek poet, looms large over the picturesque Greek milieu serving as both a muse and cultural touchstone for the lesbian community. Sappho was an Archaic Greek poet who was born on the pristine island of Lesbos and lived from approximately 630 – 570 BC. She’s widely regarded to be one of the premiere writers to explore themes of female same sex love and wlw relationships in her poetry. All these years later Sappho and her work have remained a stead ward symbol of the love that dare not speak its name between women. Lesvia serves not only as a tribute to Sappho and her work but more importantly as a deeply personal reflection of times gone by when lesbians flocked to the island in search of a place to express themselves and their love freely and without fear of social or political reproach.
In the film Hadjidimitriou recalls her own personal journey to Eressos within the larger context of a socio-political movement in which lesbians from all corners of the world ventured to this small corner of sun-drenched paradise yearning for freedom, community, sex, and fun in the sun. This largely improvised sisterhood manifested in the form of a close-knit community of women living, loving, and playing in a makeshift tent community on the beach.
Visually Lesvia is a treat for the eyes, pairing beautiful (mostly naked) women with Greece’s breathtaking natural scenery. The splendor, charm, and unique allure of Greece take center stage in the documentary as viewers are drawn into a sundrenched paradise of sand, the pristine crystal blue waters of the Aegean Sea, and the quaint traditional rural Greek countryside. Hadjidimitriou’s talent as a photographer is put to optimum use in the film as she treats viewers to majestic underwater photography; evocative of mythical mermaids, shots of rolling green farmlands, and stunning close ups of the local plant and animal life, all set against a backdrop of lesbian empowerment.
As the documentary progresses the filmmaker utilizes a wide variety of personal interviews and home movie footage as a means to illustrate the evolution not only of the queer political movement but also of the ways in which our modern world has evolved since the 80s in terms of lesbian spaces, shifting, demographics, and the continued need and/or desire for female spaces. Ultimately the documentary is an exploration of a collective longing for a place to safely and freely express your identity and sexuality.
Late in the doc it becomes clear how the march of time has changed Eressos and reshaped both the attitudes of local residents as well as those of the lesbian visitors who continue to flock to its sandy shores. The glory days of the 80s and 90s have been replaced by more commercialized spaces with fewer and fewer niche businesses such as women’s only hotels and a new generation of younger lesbians congregating along with their with male friends to bring a new vibe to the former Sapphic paradise. The emergence of modern technologies and the internet are two additional elements which have also played roles in reshaping not only the world at large but also our individual communities and in a more personal sense how we as human beings relate, interact, and communicate with one another.
Lesvia is a documentary with a distinctive feeling of melancholic nostalgia somewhat akin to that of the longing for a lost love. It’s clear that while acknowledging the inevitable passage of time and changing sociopolitical attitudes the documentary serves as an acknowledgement that there is still a need for women’s only spaces and places where women, in particular lesbians, can feel free to express themselves openly. Even in our 2024 era of “wokeness”, evolving LGBTQ+ public policy, and the implementation of anti-discrimination laws just as in the 80s and 90s there is still a need for public spaces where lesbians can gather to socialize, freely express their identities, and celebrate the uniqueness of their lives, loves, hopes, dreams, and aspirations. The film ends on a wistful note indicative not only of a paradise lost but also of a rebirth or evolution of the Greek island and its inhabitants. The film makes clear that Sappho’s legacy continues to shape lesbian culture. The Greek poet and her influence on same sex female love and culture not only survives but thrives and the lure of the Greek poet still has the capacity to entice lesbians from around the world to venture to the sun-drenched island of Eressos and bathe in the splendours of paradise.
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