What constitutes art in cinema — and what does not — may well be open to debate. Historical truth, however, is self-evident. Ioannis Kapodistrias is indisputably the national leader of the Greeks and the statesman who changed the course of European history. The film by Yiannis Smaragdis has shattered box-office records, surpassing both Greek and international productions — a fact that is itself historic. For the creation of the film and the portrayal of the Governor’s personality, the director drew inspiration from actress and close collaborator Natalia Kapodistrias, the last living descendant to bear the family name. “In her gaze,...