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Olga’s story

Olga is a Ukrainian woman from eastern Ukraine who lives with her mother and has a child. Her nursing job does not pay enough to support herself or her family, so she takes a second job in internet pornography to make ends meet. Eventually she leaves her homeland and travels to Vienna, Austria, where she finds work as a housekeeper for a wealthy family and also lives in their home. The woman in the family begins to suspect Olga of theft and fires her. Olga then finds employment as a cleaner at a geriatric hospital. There, she forms a relationship with an elderly man named Erich, who asks her to marry him so she can obtain Austrian citizenship. Olga accepts with the knowledge that this would secure her future, but Erich dies of a heart attack before they can wed.

Pauli’s path in Vienna and beyond

Pauli is a young man from Vienna who lives with his mother and his stepfather. He owns a large dog named Caeser and trains in martial arts. He works as a security guard at a shopping complex but loses his job after a confrontation with a group of drunken Turks who cuff him and strip him of his clothes. His girlfriend ends their relationship because of the dog, and Pauli finds himself in debt to several people, including his stepfather, Michael. Michael then takes him along on a job in Ukraine to set up video gambling machines. On the way, they stop at a poor Romani neighborhood in Košice, Slovakia, where Pauli tries to hire a prostitute but cannot agree on a price with the Romani pimps, who chase him back to their van. When they arrive in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, they rent a hotel room and attempt to meet girls at a local bar. The next day, Pauli leaves Michael’s company and searches for work at a local market, but is unable to find any. The final image shows him walking along a long country road, hitchhiking, either returning to the West or continuing deeper into Ukraine.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:47