The Great Match

Inspired by the director’s life, the film is set against the backdrop of the 1989 exodus of many Europeans who sought a better life during the decline of political and economic prospects in their home countries. Joanna and Robert are from Poland and find themselves stranded in a refugee camp in Germany with their twelve-year-old son Michal. Joanna stumbles upon a cleaning job at a tennis club owned by Jurgen, an ex-pro-tennis player, who is training his son Florian to follow his own steps. When Michal decides to compete in a local tennis tournament, Jurgen, sensing raw and natural talent, offers to give him lessons. According to family and friends, by accepting this offer Michał betrays the Poles. The case gets even more complicated when Michał starts winning more and more games, becoming a real challenge to Florian. When people around – refugees, Poles and Germans – turn the final match into a sociocultural conflict, Michal must reach beyond his place in the world to follow his heart’s desire.