Western

Tensions reach boiling point in this sizzling neo-western, as migrant German construction workers are pitched against villagers in remote Bulgaria.

Tensions mount between German construction workers and Bulgarian villagers in a small rural town, in this contemporary western from award-winning director Valeska Grisebach. Camped above the isolated town, the workers exacerbate tempers and flare age-old national resentments. However, when one of them borrows a horse from a townsman, tempers finally begin to fray beyond repair.

Grisebach’s exquisitely taut film explores the dynamics of all-male environments; masculinity is a language, albeit a rudimentary one, that can be culturally specific and ripe for misunderstanding. With expertly observed micro-dramas amidst the gorgeously photographed countryside, Western features melancholy and menace in equal measure, providing a memorable and unique addition to the genre.