km 43.3 Transylvanian Timber
One of the oldest and longest small-gauge railroads in the world operates in the Valley of Water, a remote region on the border between Romania and the Ukraine, only accessible by this ancient railway which is run by a Romanian-Swiss wood processing company, the third largest producer of wooden doors and windows in Europe.
But since 1 January 2007, this rail line also marks the border of the European Union. This film follows the workers as they are transported 43km into the valley – a journey that takes five hours – where they chop down trees and load them onto the train at the end of the day. Along the way, random stops and extraordinary events unfold, including the appearance of a brass band.
In addition to the loggers, a group of Romanian border officials also works in the valley, equipped with buses modified for use on the tracks, monitoring the traffic crossing the border at this European extremity.
A poetic, mysterious and unforgettable journey through the new Europe.
Michael Brooke reviews km 43.3 Transylvanian Timber.
