Poland’s submission to the Oscars, Under the Volcano is an intimate and evocative story of survival and connection. Stranded in paradise as their homeland is torn apart, a Ukrainian family grapples with displacement, guilt, and the unrelenting pull of home. Against the sun-drenched beauty of Tenerife, teenage Sofiia forges a tentative bond with a young man who crossed the sea from West Africa—a journey of desperation and loss that mirrors her own family’s upheaval. Damian Kocur delivers a poignant exploration of migration, resilience, and the quiet strength it takes to rebuild in the face of profound loss.