This harrowing adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's controversial 1965 novel follows a young Polish Jewish boy forced to fend for himself as he wanders through Eastern Europe during the brutal years of World War II, finding and ultimately fleeing those that victimize him. The film marks a decade-long labor of love for director Václav Marhoul who balances physical and psychological horror with haunting wide-screen black-and-white visuals. Like the book, the film unfolds in surreal episodes that examine the relationship between terror and cruelty, innocence and love. Palm Springs's own Udo Kier appears at his most savage as Miller, although Julian Sands as the pedophile Garbos is perhaps even more indelible. The contemporary migration crisis and spread of xenophobic prejudices and hatred makes the message of this powerful film all the more urgent.

Winner: Best Cinematography, Chicago Film Festival

In competition for the FIPRESCI Prize

Director Václav Marhoul, producer Václav Dejcmar, and actor Udo Kier are expected to be in attendance on January 6 and 7.