"Ildiko Enyedi's wildly ambitious and audacious new film tells three intertwining stories in timelines spread out over the course of an entire century, each shot in a different format designed to evoke their respective eras. They share a common locale, and each narrative involves scientific inquiry, technological ambition, and the deep connection between humans and plant life. This is particularly evident with the large ginkgo tree located in a German botanical garden, which winds up becoming one of the film's most fascinating characters."
"In the earliest storyline, set in 1908 and shot in 35mm black-and-white, a young woman named Grete (Luna Wedler) is first seen applying to become the first female science student at Germany's University of Hamburg, facing a group of older male professors who turn their interview with her about her knowledge of plant classifications into a creepy and leering inquiry about her sex life."
Silent Friend tells three intertwining stories set across a century, each filmed in a different format to evoke its era. All three narratives share a German botanical garden and center on scientific inquiry, technological ambition, and human connections with plant life. The earliest segment (1908) follows Grete, who becomes the first female science student at the University of Hamburg and discovers botanical photography. The 1972 segment follows Hannes, a literature student who befriends botany student Gundula. A large ginkgo tree functions as a persistent presence and becomes one of the film's most fascinating characters.
Read at Roger Ebert
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