89 mm od Europy

The titular 89 millimeters refers to the difference in railway track gauge between Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union. The film depicts the routine yet laborious operation of changing the undercarriages of an international train, carried out by Belarusian workers. The observation of a clash between two worlds carefree, laughing tourists from the West and exhausted railway workers from the East becomes a metaphor for distance, miscommunication, and the division of Europe. The status quo is disrupted when a young boy steps off the train to speak with one of the workers.

Topics covered in the film: border, differences, two worlds, encounter, work.