Adults in the Room is a 2019 Greek drama film directed by Costa-Gavras, based on the memoir by Yanis Varoufakis, who served as Greece's Minister of Finance in 2015. The film portrays the tense negotiations between Greece and the Eurogroup over the country's debt crisis, which resulted in severe austerity measures being imposed on the Greek people.
As the film unfolds, we see the key players in this drama, including Varoufakis himself, struggling to find a way out of the inhuman network of power that is the Eurogroup. Despite their best efforts, they are constantly stymied by the unyielding demands of the finance ministers and officials who make up the group. The film portrays the Eurogroup meetings as a kind of prison, trapping the negotiators in a cycle of endless negotiations and impossible demands.
In this claustrophobic environment, the protagonists are put under immense pressure, which eventually leads to divisions within their ranks. Some, like Varoufakis, refuse to be cowed and continue to fight for the best possible outcome for Greece. Others become disillusioned and succumb to the brutal logic of the Eurogroup, leading them to betray their own country in the name of economic stability.
Throughout the film, there is a sense of anger and frustration at the way in which the Eurogroup operates. It is clear that the negotiators from Greece are facing an almost impossible task, one that requires them to sacrifice their own people in order to satisfy the demands of their creditors. The film makes a powerful statement about the dangers of unaccountable power and the need for democratic accountability in decision-making about economic policy.
