In The Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand 

In The Strange Pursuit of Laura Durand is an award winning Greek roadtrip comedy about two guys and their obsession with a 90s porn star, available across all major digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon and Google.

Antonis and Christos are two down on their luck friends, who are both infatuated by 90s porn star Laura Durand who disappeared in mysterious circumstances. They’re unemployed and their only escape is performing with their ageing synth rock band, playing to a similarly ageing crowd. Antonis has discovered he has a serious health condition after having an MRI scan so when their obsession leads them to look through the memorabilia of their favourite porn star they discover, amongst the newspaper clippings and magazines, an old VHS tape with a secret message they are compelled to act upon.

Realising they don’t have much to lose, except for Christos’ collection of old vinyl, which he is rather emotionally attached to, they decide to pack up everything and hit the road in their little camper van on a mission to find their favourite porn star as they stumble across and follow more mysterious messages.

Their desktop research online to find some clues leads them to a meeting with the head of Laura’s film production company. The boys have two very different approaches to the meeting but they eventually get the result they are looking for as they are handed a map of all the sites Laura was last seen at. So with their cryptic map they get back on the road in search of her.

Filmed in Greek with questionable English subtitles, the sound track is a nice eclectic mix of tracks from 70s disco porn, synth rock to traditional Greek folk guitar woven into the sound design. The places and the escapades get wackier and wackier from desert discos, to hippie retreats and haunted houses and there is a steady flow of gags that maintain a light hearted feel throughout like the confusion over the pronunciation and purpose of a photometer and when they spike the old lady’s soup with a pill they found at the hippy commune and think they’ve killed her, which is much in the style of 21 Jump Street but for grannies.

It’s a feel good comedy with lots of goofy gags that raises a smile and even the occasional belly laugh. There are some old film cliches put to good use like the horror film organ sound and lightning, which is all very tongue in cheek but there is also a heartfelt message and call to action amongst all its silliness and stupidity.