Pamfir

In this tense and relentless dramatic thriller set along the Ukraine/Romania border, Patriarch Leonid (“Pamfir” to his friends) returns to his village after months away raising money for his family, only for a series of unfortunate circumstances to force him back into the world of smuggling one last time. —M.G.

Pamfir is finally home after working abroad in Poland to make an honest wage for his family in Western Ukraine. Pamfir’s son, Nazar, and devoted wife, Olena, long for him to be here to stay. When Nazar sets fire to the local church, leaving nothing behind but rubble and ash, Pamfir promises to right his son’s wrong by paying to rebuild it. But with what money? Although he promised Olena he would never repeat the sins of his past, and is determined for Nazar not to follow in his footsteps, Pamfir must risk everything. Just one last time. One man’s desperation unravels layers of his dark history, leading audiences on a gripping, suspenseful journey with dire consequences in PAMFIR. —A.B.