“At the heart of a German university grows a majestic ginkgo tree, its lifespan measured in centuries. As the years pass, the distinguished plant bears witness to the private lives of those who seek shade under its boundless branches, forming a nexus that connects three generations of students and teachers across time and space. In 2020, a visiting neuroscientist (Tony Leung Chiu-wai, In the Mood for Love) conducts a series of experiments into the possibilities of botanical consciousness. In 1972, a young student (Enzo Brumm) is profoundly changed by studying the behavior of a simple geranium. And in 1908, the photographic inquiries by the university’s first female student (Venice Prize-winning newcomer Luna Wedler) reveal sacred patterns of the universe hidden within the humblest of plants. Over time, each is transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature.
From Ildikó Enyedi, the director of Academy Award-nominated On Body and Soul, comes Silent Friend, an epic, awe-inspiring exploration of the natural world. Gracefully shifting between richly textured film stock and crystaline high-definition digital images, Enyedi crafts a thoughtful meditation on the essential question of what it means to be human.” –1-2 Special
