»Exploitation is at the core of our way of life in the privileged societies of the West … Someone has to pay the price for progress. And someone has to get the job done.«
– Sudabeh Mortezai

Underground concrete bunkers, somewhere in Albania. Built during the era of communist dictator Enver Hoxha. A travel guide explains that Hoxha had been paranoid about the West launching an invasion. It never actually happened. But what about today? Director Sudabeh Mortezai sends the invaders into the remotest reaches of Albania – in the form of ambitious executive Beate Winter, complete with suit and high heels plus the blonde upswept hairstyle of one of Hitchcock’s icy female figures. The »Europa« here is not the promised land that many countries still hope for. Instead it is a multinational corporation, represented by Beate Winter. She talks about »structural development« and the advancement of women: »You are the future. Not just the future of Albania. But the future of Europe.« The philanthropic façade soon drops away though, revealing a callous sneer, and we get wind of a mysterious agenda whereby Winter is meant to buy the land from the locals. When stubborn farmer Jetnor refuses to relinquish the land of his ancestors, Winter resorts to dirty tactics. Director of photography Klemens Hufnagl’s widescreen format captures the magnificence of Albania’s untouched landscape, while the dark sacrilege of neocolonialism gradually fills the screen.