“What they told us about communism turned out to be a complete lie. But what they told us about capitalism is absolutely true.” 

2020. In a Bulgarian mining town, Iva, a textile factory worker, sews ‘Made in EU’ labels onto Italian suits. After dragging herself to work with a fever of 39 degrees and collapsing there, her case becomes public as the town’s first COVID infection. Director Stephan Komandarev tells the story with poignancy and precision: how everyone is now fighting to keep their jobs, and how Iva and her son are treated as the culprits by this society, whilst the death toll rises. Observing quietly yet always remaining close to his characters, the film – based on true events – depicts an individual’s fate in a world where one’s own sister is betrayed to save the company. (Max Hamm, CINEMATE – Die Freie Filmzeitschrift) 

“The film urges viewers to consider economic exploitation and structural inequalities within the European Union, as well as their own role in them.” (Kinofenster.de) 

“Throughout, this remarkable film retains its understated cinematic beauty, despite all the injustices and suffering, amidst death and human frailty. Almost every shot, seemingly taken from real life, shimmers—carefully framed and arranged in muted, washed-out, carefully coordinated colours—like an old master’s oil painting.” (Filmdienst) 

“Komandarev isn’t interested in glossy narratives of a united Europe. He’s interested in the seams, in what frays when the fabric is stretched too tight. In the end, there is no consolation, but clarity. And perhaps that is more than one can ask of a film.” (artechok)