Yuma

It’s the beginning of the 1990s but the situation along the Polish-German border hasn’t much changed since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Twenty-year-old Zyga (the talented Jakub Gierszał) is tired of looking at the latest fashions and Western conveniences in glossy magazines. He and his friends decide to brighten up life in their sleepy, gray town by bettering themselves and their fellow citizens. Overflowing with goods, West German stores are just a tad too tempting for the young men. Piotr Mularuk’s impressive, action-packed drama drew inspiration from the situation (and the Polish news headlines that accompanied it) that unfolded on the Polish-German border following the breakup of the Soviet bloc. The debuting director adroitly weaves Western motifs into the film, referencing, among others, Delmer Daves’ renowned 1957 movie 3:10 to Yuma, which Zyga dreamily watches in the half-empty local theater. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)