Nadia and Martha are prostitutes in a seedy Greek under­world of sex, lies, and corruption. At the ripe old age of 17, Martha has already developed a drug-fueled passivity and a masochistic enjoyment of paid sex. Nadia, by con­ trast, has the confidence of someone who views hooking as a mere pit stop on the way to the top. She also has the luxury of being considered boss Manos's best-kept secret. Initially maintaining a wary distance from one another, Nadia seduces Martha one night while both women are out turni ng tricks. Before long, they become lovers.

One part fantastical, two parts pornographic, Hardcore is a tantalizing roller-coaster ride through Nadia and Martha's tumultuous relationship, which appears doomed from the start. Although they move in together, their profession, ongoing side relationships with fellow male prostitutes Argyris and Miltos, and Nadia's mani­pulative search for fame all combine to undermine their blossoming love. But their real downfall comes when Nadia realizes she can have it all at the price of every­ one in her life, particularly boss Manos and lover Argyris, and things take a decidedly violent turn.

Gritty, intoxicating, undeniably mesmerizing (it's particularly hard to keep your eyes off lead actresses Katerina Tsavalou as Martha and Danai Skiadi as Nadia), Hardcore, with its never-ending eruption of sexual and literal violence, proves to be just that.