29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (07.11-23.11.2025)
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
29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (07.11-23.11.2025)
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
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
Info
Rating
-
Production year
2024
Global distributor
Baltic Productions
Local distributor
Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ
In cinema
11/23/2025