A raw, gritty, and riveting modern western unfolds in the secluded backwaters of Rusnė, near the country’s border, where everyone knows each other but no one can be trusted. It’s God’s forsaken no-man’s land. People don’t just drown themselves there.

Mourning ornithologist Vilius owes money to the bank, guards birds from poachers’ nets, monitors migration, and cares for his mentally vulnerable daughter, Urtė. When a staged accident disrupts his bleak routine, Vilius is forced into the shadowy world of smuggling illegal contraband.

Nightmarishly merciless local boss Vanda (mesmerisingly played by newcomer femme fatale Danguolė Beinarytė) drags his miserable life into a spiral of manipulation, blackmail, and physical abuse. It won’t be easy to forget this menacing, charismatic woman who cruelly pulls all the strings.

The director of “The Gambler” and “Invisible” (both screened at PÖFF competitions) shot the film over two years to capture the specific wintery-autumn atmosphere. In “Borderline”, he orchestrates furious car chases and underwater sequences, pursuing unflinching authenticity to evoke the mood of unforgiving coldness and imminent danger.

Edvinas Pukšta