In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed for over a century the quiet rhythms of transformation across three human lives.
2020: a neuroscientist from Hong Kong, exploring the mind of babies, begins an unexpected experiment with the old tree. 1972: a young student is profoundly changed by the simple act of observing and connecting with a geranium. 1908: the university's first female student discovers, through the lens of photography, sacred patterns of the universe hidden within the humblest of plants.
Winner of the Fipresci Prize at the Venice Festival, Silent Friend is the poetic, gentle and compelling new film from celebrated Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi (The Story of My Wife, 2021 Haifa Festival).
Filmography: The Story of My Wife (2021), On Body and Soul (2017), My Twentieth Century (1989).