The beautiful Kupa river runs along the border between Croatia and Slovenia. Residents of the two countries have lived as neighbours for generations, with mixed families on either side.

There are many bridges across the river, but today nobody can cross these bridges. Both Croatia and Slovenia are in EU, but only Slovenia is part of Schengen. Far-away bureaucrats decided to construct a razor-wire fence on the Slovenian side of the river, as a protective measure against the arrival of illegal migrants.

With the new fence becoming a focal point for refugees trying to reach Europe through the Balkans, different faces of human nature are revealed as ghosts from the past return to haunt. The new “wall protecting Europe” might seem a good solution on paper for decision makers, but for those living either side of the Kupa, they must find a way to survive, as razor wire cuts through the heart of their community.

Dir. Tiha K. Gudac - 77min - 2021 - Belgium, Croatia, Norway, Slovenia, Lithuania

"This documentary by Croatian director Tiha Gudac opens up a fresh perspective by focusing principally on the effects on destination or transit countries: namely a beautifully sylvan stretch of the Croat-Slovenian border demarcated by the Kupa River and, now, horrible lengths of coiled razor wire laid down by the EU to prevent migrants from breaching the Schengen area" - The Guardian

"does a good job of observing such small-scale dynamics and everyday nastiness, as always waiting around the corner....With so much suffering going on on one side and merry marathons on the other, Gudac shows a place with a personality disorder, eaten alive by its sharp, new addition." - Cineuropa

"manages to balance beautiful vistas with tough stories and angry rhetoric with governmental platitudes" - Business Doc Europe

"Yugoslav history and Balkan borders are famously complicated" Modern Times Review

"cleverly constructed so that the viewer is gradually immersed in the complex theme" - Fipresci, Jury Prize Winner