United States of Love

A grieving couple retreats to their cabin 'Eden' in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.

Kuba attends an art opening with his girlfriend of two years and bumps into Mikal. The connection between these two young men is instantaneous and intoxicating, and despite opposition from all sides, he allows Mikal into his life. The results go beyond anything he could have imagined. This intimate and bold second feature from Polish director Tomasz Wasilewski captures the often-complicated consequences of finding love where others do not want it.

Edyta is forty and in the midst of a crisis. She has left her family, her husband and son and their house on the Baltic Sea behind her. She spends her nights in a Warsaw hotel room and her days driving around the unfamiliar city. When she runs out of cash, she hatches a plan: An ad in the newspaper – sex for money. Edyta never lets things get that far though, as she drugs her clients and then uses their apartments as a refuge for the night. Then she meets an artist, Patryk. A smidgen of luck and Edyta can no longer maintain her dismissive attitude. In this enthralling character study, Tomasz Wasilewski uses filmic minimalism to ensure that glances and gestures say more than words. He portrays a lonely woman in both fragility and strength, using precise image composition.

Marlena (62) and Tomasz (42), hidden away from the world in a small seaside town, have been in a happy relationship for many years. Their intricately woven everyday life slowly begins to crumble when, against Tomasz’s will, Marlena allows her son to move in with them. As the past comes back to them in full force they will have to redefine their love, choices and life.