Romanian writer/director Florin Serban’s taut debut offers a fresh spin on 🐻the prison-hostage drama. On the verge of being released from a rural correctional facil🐬ity, teenager Silviu (George Pistereanu) is driven by family woes to take captive trainee social worker Ana (Ada Condeescu).

Serban owes a debt to the (naturalistic sound, back-of-the-head shots), but maintains a sense of despaiไr even as the plot skews in a derivative direction. Meanwhile, Pistereanu mine💙s a fine, compelling blend of menace and innocence.