Goyta

The lives of a Hassidic young man (Yoyli) and a Polish young woman (Mariola) intersect when they find themselves secluded in a car after he offers her a ride home. This, after Yoyli and his mother picked her up from a street corner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Polish, immigrant women wait to be taken to Hassidic homes to help with the cleaning of their house. In the movie they negotiate the labor at $8 an hour. After scrubbing and scouring for a bit, and after observing a world that is completely foreign to her, Mariola succumbs to the toxic fumes of the cleaning agents and falls and faints. After regaining consciousness, she leaves the house in an angry huff. At the prodding of his sister and father, Yoyli goes out to find her and offer her a ride. She accepts not realizing the differences of their worlds that would place the two young people in a tense and heated situation that is never fully resolved.

Directed by Joanna Jurewicz, Goyta leans on a strong ensemble — Agnieszka Podsiadlik, Abe Lebovic, Faigy Salomon — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2007.