The third film from one of Poland's most talented young directors is a striking, sometimes darkly comic drama set in Poland in 1990-the country's first euphoric year of freedom after years of state repression. It tells the loosely connected stories of four women of different ages who decide it's time to change their lives and fulfill their desires.

Agata, a young mother trapped in an unhappy marriage, seeks refuge in an unrequited relationship with a handsome priest. Lonely, about-to-retire schoolteacher Renata becomes obsessed with her neighbor Marzena, an aerobics instructor and former local beauty queen, whose husband works in Germany. Meanwhile, Marzena's sister Iza is a headmistress in a long-term but unfulfilling relationship with the father of one of her students.

"Love is a losing game for the four women at the heart of this austere Polish ensemble drama. Shot in artfully washed-out pastel tones by feted Romanian New Wave cinematographer Oleg Mutu, Wasilewski's Berlin debut combines stylistic rigor, serious intent and a fine ensemble cast." Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter

Winner: Best Screenplay, Berlin