Obce niebo

The Polish title translates to "Alien Heaven," irony intended. The alien heaven is Sweden, where a Polish couple with a nine year old daughter live. They are obviously trying hard to make ends meet, in particular to pay the rent for their excessively small and no too confortable flat. They are not integrated in Swedish society and seem to receive a sort of polite, often kind but distant attention from their neighbors. The couple's friends are also immigrants; their best friend is Ukrainian.

The movie deals with the Swedish social services and their (genuine) preoccupation with children not adequately cared for at home. Good intentions abound, but other factors (such as the clash of cultures, the unreliability of neighbor's impressions or the often complicated interpretation of children's answers) cloud the issue.

The movie is not a criticism of Swedish society. It deals with problems that immigrants (and social services) have to face in any country and any society. The script and the direction are austere, unsentimental and evenhanded. Good acting by all concerned. A quality movie.