Compulsion, obsession and passion may lead some people to creativity and to acts which at first glance may seem eccentric. One such character is Stratos, a 42 years old butcher who lives in Athens, Greece. "A MAN’S RAVE" documentary is a penetrating journey into his idiosyncrasy, his struggle for survival, his unfulfilled plans, his memories, and his passion for electronic dance music or Rave as it’s often called.
Strato’s butcher shop is not an ordinary store where customers just go and buy meat, but rather a place where once you enter, it feels like you’re in a party of the early Rave scene. The loud music, the lights and the rhythms create an atmosphere that gives the butchery a totally new dimension.
The butcher’s profession is a demanding job that requires everyday a hard physical effort. Stratos tells us "...the only thing I've never wanted to be in my life was a butcher…". However, he was forced to follow this profession when he was 16 years old. It was the only way for him and his family to survive. His discovery of rave music -his other love- may have been a reaction to this enforcement.
The electronic dance music became part of his life in the early '90s, and ever since he is a loyal fan. When he talks about it, one may distinguish the "erotic" enthusiasm, the daydreaming, the energy, the journey and the escape from everyday life.
Stratos managed to combine his two "obsessions", "loves", life choices. Being both an expert of meat and a lover of music, he managed to make these two coexist. So through the sound of the electronic dance music and the light chasers that are installed in the store, he makes the purchase of the meat seem a surreal act.
Eventually, does Stratos, who acted maturely at the age of 16, feel like a child at the age of 42?
