When ex-smuggler Pamfir returns home to his village on the Ukrainian border, he’s determined to earn an honest living and set a good example for his teenage son. But in a town where corruption and religion are inextricably linked, it isn’t long until he is lured back to a life of crime. A barnstorming, genre-defying debut that paints a vividly elemental portrait of rural Ukraine, featuring a powerhouse performance from Oleksandr Yatsentyuk in the eponymous role.

Reviews

‘Balances muscular, crime-thriller tropes against moments of striking, unsettling beauty, tension and urgency against knottily complex character development.’
★★★★
Wendy Ide, The Observer

‘This tale of a tough loner forced to test his mettle certainly has political resonance beyond its intimate telling here.’
★★★★
David Jenkins, Little White Lies