Pamfir (15)

Part drama, part thriller, part noir-inflected fairytale, Pamfir is violent, raw and bloody, but also a tender portrait of a family man trying to raise his son well despite his own shady past. 

When reformed ex-smuggler Pamfir returns to his village on the Ukrainian border after working abroad for several years, he’s determined to earn an honest living and set a good example for his beloved teenage son, Nazar. But in a town where corruption runs deep and crime and religion are inextricably linked, his plan is quickly thwarted when Nazar sets fire to the local church in a misguided effort to keep him at home. To pay for the damage, Pamfir must take on one last job for a crime syndicate operating a risky smuggling venture in a place where all the rules have changed.

In his propulsive debut feature, Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk explores the thin line between good and evil, and fate and free will, against the backdrop of the traditional Malanka carnival – a wild pagan festival featuring straw costumes, wooden masks and centuries-old rites and traditions.

Languages:
Ukrainian

Subtitles:
Full English