Out

A factory in southern Slovakia lays off the majority of its workers. Amongst them is Ágoston, in his mid-fifties, happily married and a member of Slovakia's Hungarian minority. Attracted by a leaflet promising work at a Latvian dockyard he sets off on a long journey, only to find that nobody is expecting him up North. Only the stand-offish dockyard clerk, herself a subject of workplace bullying, proves willing to help. Thus begin the absurdist adventures of a Russian-speaking Hungarian-Slovak in Latvia.

Eastern European cinema has not been that innovative for a long time. Drawing inspiration from Aki Kaurismäki and Martin Šulik, this refreshing directing debut nevertheless speaks of an original approach. Shaped by an oddball sense of humour the film nevertheless attempts to deal with the harsh realities of workers in Eastern Europe. Ultimately director György Kristóf finds the right balance, with beautiful visuals and the wonderful performances of many of the hitherto little-known cast members, and all of this in a mere 83 minutes. JT