STYX New Auteurs

Rike (Susanne Wolff) is an experienced amateur sailor embarking on a solo voyage through open Atlantic waters. After weathering a brutal night storm, Rike awakens the next morning to spot a vessel in the distance that has been thrust into a dire situation: a boat, brimming with migrants, is sinking. Suddenly, Wolfgang Fischer’s taut, near-wordless film crystallizes into a sharp moral dilemma: What is an individual’s personal responsibility when faced with the refugee crisis? With skillful camerawork and a muscular central performance — both made more impressive by being set against the unwieldy ocean — STYX is a lean, gripping portrayal of one woman’s attempts to do the right thing, even as official help repeatedly fails to arrive. – Beth Hanna