The first feature fiction film by the screenwriter and novelist Bogdan Mirică is a combination of atmospheric western and chilling thriller imbued with humour, starring Dragos Bucur, the famous Romanian actor (Police, Adjective). The charismatic and diabolic antagonist is played by Vlad Ivanov, known to ZFF’s audience for his role in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

Dogs premiered in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival section Un Certain Regard. It is a highly stylised slow motion film, similar in atmosphere to No Country for Old Men by the Cohen brothers and Once upon a Time in Anatolia by the Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, similarly dissecting the parochial corruption and cruelty of life in the Romanian wastelands near the Ukrainian border.

After his grandfather’s death, a ‘city boy’ Roman (Dragos Bucur) decides to sell his isolated and abandoned estate. After a series of disturbing events, he learns from a local police officer that his grandfather was a local crime boss and that his associates will not let this sale go easily. Surrounded by wasteland and lawlessness, Roman is forced to face his grandfather’s deputy – seemingly friendly but ruthless Samir (Vlad Ivanov).

The Croatian premiere is scheduled for today at Europa Cinema, at 9.30pm in the main competition.