A compelling parable about the indifference of those with more than enough.

This is an austere meditation, with a languid camera and only diagetic sound to focus us on a week in the lives of Polish couple Anna (Agnieszka Zulewska) and Adam (Dobromir Dymecki). They have arrived at a rather idyllic holiday home in Sardinia and their buttoned-up sense of entitlement is quickly challenged by the house not being exactly what they want.

Their request for the owner Fabio (Marcello Romolo), an affable man who tries to give them alternatives, to fix the swimming pool, sets off a chain of events that amplify the fractures in their relationship. This interaction is a pivotal one as we see the warmth and empathy of Fabio which is in contrast to Adam and Anna’s inability to be flexible, their insistence on putting their own needs over that of anyone else.

We see glimpses of change on the island, there is a military presence, perhaps due to an influx of asylum seekers. Local diving instructor Arnaud (an unrecognisable Jean-Marc Barr) tries to be optimistic but a downturn in tourism is affecting local livelihoods. You can see how this elevates the couple’s sense of self importance, particularly when their status is contrasted with those who live there undocumented.

An event happens that is very quietly underplayed but inexorably changes Anna and Adam’s lives. There is a slow unfolding of moments that show guilt, rationalisation, entitlement and values. The final scene shows what both will carry with them even when they escape the sun-bleached chaos of the island for the neat order of home.

Nothing is overt but there are hints that we are witnessing a broader malaise where those who live in comfort (here Europeans but it could be anywhere) become increasingly indifferent to the plight of other humans. From the couple’s insistence on filling a pool (that we never see them use) where there are water shortages to Adam’s tears over a dog but not a man and Anna’s awkwardness when pulled in to a village dance, the ability to choose individualism over community feels like a cancer that will eat away at humanity.

The slow pace and subtly of Aga Woszcsynka’s film won’t appeal to everyone but I found myself unable to look away.

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