Import-Export

Olga, a Ukrainian mother from eastern Ukraine, struggles to support herself and her child with a nursing salary that barely covers basics. To make ends meet, she takes a second job in internet pornography, signaling the beginning of a desperate path. Her choices set the frame for a dramatic pursuit of economic security.

Olga leaves her homeland and travels to Vienna, Austria, seeking better opportunities. She is hired to be a housekeeper and ends up living in the family's home. The arrangement promises stability, but her status remains precarious.

The wealthy family grows suspicious that Olga has stolen something and fires her from the job. She must quickly find new work and navigate a new city on her own. The dismissal marks a turn from domestic service to uncertain employment.

Olga begins cleaning at a geriatric hospital in Vienna, adapting to a demanding and impersonal shift. There, she forms a relationship with an elderly man named Erich who is drawn to her. The hospital setting becomes the backdrop for a complicated plan for her future.

Within the hospital milieu, Olga and Erich grow closer and he asks her to marry him to obtain Austrian citizenship. She weighs the proposal as a means to secure her future, not just love. Olga accepts, seeing it as a practical solution.

Tragedy strikes when Erich dies of a heart attack before they can marry. Olga is left with her plans upended and the uncertain path ahead. The loss intensifies the moral and practical stakes of her decisions.

Pauli, a security guard in Vienna, clashes with a group of drunken Turks who cuff him and strip him. The hostile encounter results in the loss of his job and a dented sense of stability. With finances tightening, he slides deeper into trouble.

Pauli's large dog, Caesar, creates tension with his girlfriend, who ends their relationship because of the dog. The breakup compounds his loneliness and financial strain. He finds himself more exposed to debt and pressure from others.

Pauli ends up in debt to several people, including his stepfather Michael. The accumulating debts set the stage for a calculated move into a job abroad. Michael decides to involve him in a venture in Ukraine.

Michael takes Pauli along on a job in Ukraine to set up video gambling machines. The trip marks a shift from domestic trouble to cross-border uncertainty. They travel through Košice, Slovakia, before entering Ukraine.

On the way, they stop in Košice, Slovakia, in a poor Romani neighborhood. Pauli tries to hire a prostitute but cannot agree on a price with the Romani pimps, who chase him back to their van. The encounter leaves him rattled and closer to the edge of his circumstances.

They arrive in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, rent a hotel room, and attempt to meet girls at a local bar. The effort signals a shift toward finding work and a place in this new country. The bar scene hints at the precarious social world he is entering.

The next day Pauli leaves Michael's company and searches for work at a local market, but is unable to find any employment. His search underscores the instability he faces in a foreign land. The episode leaves him with limited options and rising desperation.

The final image shows Pauli walking along a long country road, hitchhiking with uncertain prospects ahead. The scene leaves his direction ambiguous, suggesting a possibility of returning West or venturing deeper into Ukraine. The ending frames him as a man at a crossroads.