Import Export
Nov 06 - Nov 12, 2009
(Ulrich Seidl, Austria, 2007, 35mm, 135 min)
Seattle Premiere
A viscerally involving film, Import Export is a stark but profound depiction of modern day struggle. Director Ulrich Seidl masterfully extracts heart-rending performances from two untrained actors in this achingly realistic film that at times feels more like a documentary than a drama. Olga barely scrapes by as a nurse in the Ukraine, and after a dismal stint in the online porn business she leaves to find a better life in Austria. Her Austrian counterpart, Paul, is similarly fed up with drowning in debt and unemployment, so he departs for the Ukraine. Ultimately, a stirring, humanistic message emerges in their search for identity and a contented existence.
“Import Export is a work of the utmost political importance. It is also, in its rigor and fearlessness, its sorrow and pitilessness, an outstanding artistic achievement.” —Sukhdev Sandhu, Daily Telegraph
Under 18 not admitted without parent.
Watch the trailer:
