Import/Export 2007

Drama

Box Office

$564K

Runtime

135 mins

Language

German

Directed by

Ulrich Seidl

Made by

Pronto Film

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Import/Export Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Import/Export (2007). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Olga is a Ukrainian nurse from Eastern Ukraine who struggles to support herself and her child. Facing financial strain, she takes a second job in internet adult entertainment to make ends meet, and eventually leaves her homeland for Vienna, Austria. In the city, she finds work as a housekeeper for a wealthy family and ends up living in their home. When the woman of the family grows suspicious of her, Olga is fired and must seek new employment. She then takes a job as a cleaner at a geriatric hospital, where life takes another turn. There, she forms a complicated bond with an elderly man named Erich, who asks her to marry him so she can gain Austrian citizenship. Olga accepts, hoping this would secure her future, but Erich dies of a heart attack before their wedding can take place.

Pauli is a young Viennese man who shares his life with his mother and his stepfather. He keeps a large dog named Caesar and trains in martial arts, which gives him a sense of discipline and purpose. He earns a living as a security guard at a shopping complex, yet loses the job after a confrontation with a rowdy group of drunken Turks who cuff him and strip him of his clothes. This incident strains his already fragile relationships; his girlfriend ends things, and Pauli also owes money to several people, including his stepfather, Michael. Michael then ropes him into a trip to Ukraine to set up video gambling machines. On the way, they pause in a sparse Romani neighborhood in Košice, Slovakia, where Pauli tries to hire a prostitute but cannot agree on a price with the pimps, who pursue him back to his van.

In Ukraine, they continue to Kyiv’s neighboring areas, arriving in Uzhhorod, where they rent a hotel room and attempt to pick up girls at a bar. When Pauli returns to the room to borrow money from Michael to settle his tab, he discovers that Michael has brought a prostitute along and forces Pauli to watch as the man humiliates her before Pauli can leave. The following day, Pauli parts ways with Michael’s company and searches for work at a local market, but finds no opportunities. The film closes with a somber image of Pauli walking along a long country road, hitchhiking and weighing whether to head back to the West or to press further into Ukraine, a moment that captures the uncertainty and tension that marks both his journey and Olga’s.

Import/Export Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Import/Export (2007) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Olga's financial strain and second job

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.

Eastern Ukraine

Olga moves to Vienna and finds housework work

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.

Vienna, Austria

Suspicion and dismissal from the house

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.

Vienna, Austria

Olga starts work at a geriatric hospital

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.

Vienna, Austria

Olga forms a bond with Erich

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.

Vienna, Austria

Erich dies before their wedding

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.

Vienna, Austria

Pauli's life in Vienna and work as a security guard

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.

Vienna, Austria

Pauli loses his job after a confrontation

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.

Vienna, Austria

Michael recruits Pauli to go to Ukraine

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.

Vienna to Ukraine

Košice detour and a failed prostitution attempt

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.

Košice, Slovakia

In Ukraine, the trip continues toward Uzhhorod

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.

Uzhhorod, Ukraine

Michael brings a prostitute; Pauli is forced to watch

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.

Hotel room, Ukraine

Pauli quits Michael and searches for work

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.

Ukraine

Pauli faces an uncertain path as he hitchhikes

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.

Ukraine / countryside

Import/Export Characters

Explore all characters from Import/Export (2007). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Olga (Ekateryna Rak)

A Ukrainian nurse facing financial strain who takes precarious jobs to support her child. Her move to Vienna leads to domestic work, then a hospital job, and a fraught bond with an elderly man seeking citizenship. Her decisions reflect resilience amid precarious economic conditions and social barriers.

🧳 Immigrant 💼 Worker 🫶 Relationships

Pauli (Michael Thomas)

A young Viennese man living with his mother and stepfather, disciplined by martial arts and a security job that is lost after a confrontation. He becomes entangled in his stepfather’s schemes in Ukraine, accumulating debt and straining his relationships while seeking a path forward.

🧭 Youth 🥋 Martial Arts 💰 Debt

Paulis Stiefvater (Michael Thomas)

Pauli’s stepfather who pushes him into illegal ventures in Eastern Europe. He acts as a catalyst for Pauli’s travels and a source of pressure and manipulation, amplifying the film’s themes of risk and exploitation.

🧩 Manipulation 💼 Crime 💬 Power

Erich Schlager (Erich Finsches)

An elderly man who asks Olga to marry him to obtain Austrian citizenship, representing a desperate bid for security and status. He dies of a heart attack before the wedding, ending that particular route to legitimacy.

👴 Elderly 🪪 Vulnerable 🫂 Dependency

Schwester Maria (Maria Hofstätter)

A figure within the Vienna setting connected to Olga’s life, symbolizing institutional care and authority within the systems Olga encounters as she navigates employment and housing.

🧑‍⚕️ Care 🏥 Hospital 🧭 Authority

Paulis Mutter (Susanne Lothar)

Pauli’s mother, a domestic presence in his life who provides context for his behavior and the family dynamics that shape his choices and sense of security.

👩 Maternal 🏡 Home 🗣️ Family

Paulis Mutter (Brigitte Kren)

The other maternal figure connected to Paul, reflecting family tensions and loyalties that influence the protagonists’ decisions and sense of belonging.

👩 Maternal 🏠 Family 📈 Tension

Import/Export Settings

Learn where and when Import/Export (2007) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Location

Vienna, Austria, Ukraine, Košice, Slovakia

The story unfolds across several Central European locations. Olga moves from Ukraine to Vienna, where she works as a housekeeper and later at a geriatric hospital. The narrative also visits Ukrainian border regions and Košice in Slovakia, highlighting the cross-border reality of the characters.

🏙️ Vienna 🕊️ Ukraine 🗺️ Europe

Import/Export Themes

Discover the main themes in Import/Export (2007). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🌍

Immigration

Olga’s journey from Ukraine to Vienna is driven by economic hardship and a need to support her child. The film follows her attempts to build a future through cross-border work, exposing the precariousness of immigrant life. The setting across multiple European locales emphasizes the search for stability.

💔

Exploitation

The narrative highlights power imbalances and vulnerability: Olga’s precarious position in a new city and Pauli’s entanglement in debt and coercive schemes. It shows how economic desperation shapes choices and relationships, often with painful consequences. The film portrays exploitation without easy solutions, underscoring emotional tolls on those involved.

⚖️

Citizenship & Belonging

Olga’s attempt to marry Erich for Austrian citizenship frames a tension between legal status and human security. The characters’ journeys probe what belonging means when rights are granted on paper but elusive in daily life. Erich’s death leaves the future unresolved, heightening the film’s sense of uncertainty about security.

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Import/Export Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Import/Export (2007). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a continent where borders are both physical lines and emotional thresholds, Olga and Pauli find themselves pulled in opposite directions by the same yearning: a chance at steadier ground and a sense of belonging. The film paints a muted, almost observational portrait of modern Europe—sharp cityscapes juxtaposed with fleeting landscapes of road and rail—while the subtle hum of everyday life underscores a deeper, restless tide of migration. Its tone is quietly urgent, a blend of realism and wistful longing that lets each lingering glance speak louder than any dialogue.

Olga is a nurse from eastern Ukraine, shouldering the weight of a fragile family and the pressures of an economy that offers little room for hope. Faced with dwindling options, she contemplates a westward journey that promises work, stability, and a future for her child. Yet every step she considers is shadowed by self‑doubt, the ache of leaving home, and the quiet fear that the promise of a new life may be as fragile as the one she’s escaping. Her inner world is a careful balance between professional dedication and the unsettling allure of an uncertain horizon.

Across the Alps, Pauli lives a modest existence in Vienna, his days structured by a security job and disciplined by martial‑arts training. A sudden loss of employment unsettles the fragile routine that has kept his relationships and finances in tentative order. Pressured by obligations to his family, he turns his gaze eastward, where the unknown offers both a potential lifeline and the echo of his own insecurities. His journey becomes a subtle examination of masculinity, responsibility, and the yearning to reclaim agency over a life that feels increasingly adrift.

The narrative follows these parallel odysseys without spelling out their destinations, allowing the audience to linger on the texture of each traveler’s doubts and hopes. Their paths, though distant, intersect in a landscape marked by bureaucracy, fleeting kindness, and the universal quest for dignity. The film holds a mirror to the emotional toll of crossing borders—real or imagined—and invites viewers to contemplate what it truly means to seek a new beginning.

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