The Master is a 2005 Polish magical-realist film directed by Piotr Trzaskalski

Piotr Trzaskalski

Piotr Trzaskalski is a Polish film director. He attended the National Film School in Łódź. He is probably best known for his film Edi , which won several awards at the Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, and also won the special Audience Award at the 2003 Polish Film Awards...

 and starring Konstantin Lavronenko

Konstantin Lavronenko

Konstantin Nikolaevich Lavronenko is a Russian actor most commonly accredited for his performance as the mysterious father of two boys in 2003 film Vozvrashcheniye...

, Jacek Braciak, Monika Buchowiec and Teresa Branna. It tells the tale of an alcoholic Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n circus

Circus

A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...

 performer and Afghan war

Soviet war in Afghanistan

The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...

 veteran

Veteran

A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...

 who is fired from a circus for releasing all the animals in a small Polish town. He is joined by an accordionist, a prostitute and a hitchhiker as they create a traveling show featuring knife-throwing and other conjuring tricks.