The story of lesbian tourists and residents in Eressos on Lesbos. The director was born on the island and is a film-maker and photographer. Documenting her own story in Eressos and that of the lesbian community there, she compiled a comprehensive archive of photos and video footage, which comes to life in the film. Eressos is portrayed as a place of longing where some are finally able to live out a youth that heterosexist society did not permit them. Long parties, days on the beach, lots of sex and a temporary community. Whereas they experience Eressos as a society living outside of society, for the long-term residents of the village it is simply the place of their everyday lives. They are also given time in the film to describe the changes that have occurred in the place they live in, and their view of these changes. In this way, the film-maker includes both groups in her film and shows us both aspects of her own sense of belonging – to the island and to the lesbian community. It is this autobiographical perspective, with the differences in views and perceptions and its ambivalence, that gives rise to a complexity in the portrayal of the place and the changes over the years. For a lesbian-queer history, the archival footage is impressive and conjures up the desire for a different society from the past. Perhaps this reveals aspects of heterotopia – a place with its own temporal order. The balance between tourists and residents has shifted over the years as some visitors decided to stay. Everyday life then caught up with them, even if it was a different one, and times changed.

Guest: Tzeli Hadjidimitriou