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When reformed smuggler Pamfir returns home 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 his father 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.
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. Shot in long takes and set amid forests swirling with mist in the run up to the traditional ‘Malanka’ carnival - a wild pagan festival featuring straw costumes, wooden masks and centuries-old rites and traditions - this is a propulsive, genre-defying debut exploring the thin line between good and evil and fate vs free will in our complex modern world.
The Garden Cinema View:
The concept of Pamfir is hardly original: ‘a man turns to crime to defend his family’. Yet, the film makes for an excellent ethnographic depiction of Western Ukraine, presenting an unpolished image of the way of life and people of the region. The drone-like movement of the camera adds a sense of unease to the story and captures the wild beauty of frozen landscapes and faces. Emerging director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk also brings out incredible performances from Oleksandr Yatsentyuk and Solomiia Kyrylova, who have a magnetic - almost animalistic - physical presence.
Pamfir is a self-assured debut by Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk and we cannot wait to see what he does next.
Cast:
Oleksandr Yatsentiuk, Solomiia Kyrylova, Stanislav Potiak