Import/Export

Olga, a Ukrainian nurse from Eastern Ukraine, struggles to support herself and her child. Facing mounting financial pressure, she takes a second job in internet adult entertainment to make ends meet. The strain pushes her to seek opportunities abroad, ultimately leading her to Vienna.

Olga arrives in Vienna seeking stability for herself and her child. She finds work as a housekeeper for a wealthy family and ends up living in their home, beginning a new chapter in a foreign city.

The lady of the house grows suspicious of Olga, and she is fired from the job. With income cut off, Olga must look for another way to support herself and her child in a new city.

Olga takes a job as a cleaner at a geriatric hospital, entering a different kind of care environment. The job brings new routines and challenges, and she continues to persevere in difficult circumstances.

At the hospital, Olga forms a complicated bond with an elderly man named Erich. He asks her to marry him so that she can gain Austrian citizenship, a prospect Olga accepts hoping to secure her future.

Shortly after the proposal, Erich dies of a heart attack. Olga is left to confront the loss and the uncertain future that followed the hope of a new citizenship and stability.

In parallel to Olga's story, Pauli lives with his mother and stepfather in Vienna. He trains in martial arts and works as a security guard at a shopping complex, trying to keep his life together amid mounting pressures.

Pauli loses his job following a confrontation with a rowdy group of drunken Turks, who cuff him and strip him of his clothes. The incident deepens his troubles with money, relationships, and obligations to others.

Because Pauli owes money to various people, his stepfather Michael ropes him into a trip to Ukraine to set up video gambling machines. The plan drags Pauli into a dangerous and uncertain journey.

On the way to Ukraine, Pauli and Michael pause near Košice, Slovakia, where Pauli attempts to hire a prostitute but cannot agree on a price. The pimps pursue him back to their van, adding tension to the journey.

The duo continues to the Ukrainian countryside, reaching the Kyiv area’s surroundings and eventually arriving in Uzhhorod. They rent a hotel room and begin seeking opportunities to meet local women.

The next day Pauli borrows money to settle his tab, only to discover that Michael has brought a prostitute along and forces Pauli to watch as the man humiliates her. Pauli leaves in disgust and frustration, realizing he cannot trust Michael.

Pauli parts ways with Michael's company and begins looking for work at a local market, but finds no opportunities. He remains trapped by debt and ill fortune, with his future unresolved.

The film closes with Pauli walking along a long country road, hitchhiking and weighing whether to head back to the West or press further into Ukraine. The moment captures the pervasive uncertainty that marks his journey as well as Olga's.