Western

a film by Valeska Grisebach
2017, 121 minutes

Poster

Synopsis

An intense, slow-burning thriller, Western follows a group of German construction workers installing a hydroelectric plant in remote rural Bulgaria. The foreign land awakens the men’s sense of adventure, but tensions mount when, Meinhard, the strong, silent and newcomer to the group, starts mixing with the local villagers. The two sides speak different languages and share a troubled history. Can they learn to trust each other — or is the stage being set for a showdown?

Reviews

Critic's Pick! "Beautifully complicated, rigorously straightforward. There is no doubting Ms. Grisebach’s filmmaking... WESTERN is as precise as a dropped pin on a GPS map, which makes its sense of mystery all the more powerful."
- A.O. Scott, The New York Times

"There are no stagecoaches or six-shooters in this sharp, simmering drama of German-Bulgarian discord, but the spirit of John Ford graces it."
- Guy Lodge, Variety

"A story that can feel as familiar as a John Ford movie, if one attuned to dislocation and discontent in contemporary Europe. Ms. Grisebach has a feel for mood, place and real, lived-in faces."
- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

"A stunning existential study of masculinity."
- Sight and Sound

"Recognizes the western as a template for eternal conflicts."
-Dennis Lim, Film Comment

"A powerful, deeply human and intricately political drama... reminiscent of Claire Denis' Foreign Legion cine-poem, Beau Travail."
- Daniel Kasman, MUBI Notebook

Press Materials

Press Kit and Images
Acquisition Release

Where to watch

Playdates

Feb 16 - Film Society of Lincoln Center - New York, NY
Feb 18 & 28: Portland International Film Festival - Portland, OR
Feb 23-Mar 1 - Center for Contemporary Arts - Santa Fe, NM
Feb 25 - Knoxville Museum of Art via the Public Cinema - Knoxville, TN

Mar 1-19 - Time & Space Limited - Hudson, NY
Mar 2-8 - Parkway Theatre - Baltimore, MD
Mar 8-9 - Wexner Center for the Arts - Columbus, OH
Mar 8-11 - Northwest Film Forum - Seattle, WA
Mar 9 - George Eastman Museum - Rochester, NY
Mar 9-15 - Upstate Films Rhinebeck - Rhinebeck, NY
Mar 16-18 - Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City, OK
Mar 16-22 - Lake Worth Playhouse - Lake Worth, FL
Mar 19-22 - Guild Cinema - Albuquerque, NM
Mar 21 - PFS Roxy Theater - Philadelphia, PA
Mar 22-25 - Cleveland Cinematheque - Cleveland, OH