Hell may be other people, but sometimes they're also our salvation.

In the stark confines of Amsterdam airport, 39-year-old Mirte works as a cleaner for a detention facility where new asylum seekers are held for 10 days before being released. Troubled and wary, Mirte's safe routine is shattered by the arrival of charismatic West African Luc. As the two damaged souls fence around one another, a mutual curiosity, possibly love, slowly begins to bloom – but both know that in 10 days everything will change.

The sophomore feature from Dutch phenom Jaap van Heusden, The New World is a powerful, quietly told vignette of cautious romance and improbable redemption. Anchored by a powerhouse performance from Bianca Krijgsman as the walled-off Mirte, it's a bittersweet reminder that home is often simply the place you find your love.

D Jaap van Heusden P Marc Bary S Jaap van Heusden, Rogier de Blok WS IJswater Films L Dutch w/English subtitles TD DCP/2013