London/Dubai-based cinematographer and Aletheia Photos contributor Ross Domoney‘s “Athens: Social Meltdown,” part of a longer documentary on the Greek fiscal crisis, is an intimate look at chaos. He focuses his attention on half a dozen formerly middle class citizens of Athens, recording their personal reactions and splicing their private dialogues with protest footage and the voice of Dr. Dimitris Dalakoglou, who carefully maps the rise of austerity in colloquial English. Domoney’s camera sees Athens like its newly impoverished citizens do: from the gutter, staring above the heads of policemen into government windows.

Though the young filmmaker has contributed footage to Channel 4, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, this version of the Greek capital’s story is special: it’s beautiful, easy to follow and provokes empathy; it’s not news–it’s art.