"Silent Friend is built around silences and the steady accumulation of human and natural detail, feeling as if it's being told by the tree itself: omniscient, unflinching, yet shot through with an almost alien tenderness."
"Professor Wong, a Hong Kong neurologist, finds himself stuck under COVID-19 lockdown in an empty university, conducting neurological experiments on the ginkgo tree."
"Grete, the sole female student studying botany in 1908, faces sexist questioning from her professors during her oral application, which uses increasingly sexual terms to provoke her."
"Hannes, a shy student in 1972, is taken with Gundula, who researches the neural responses of her geranium, leading him to discover the plant's significance."
Silent Friend is a meditative drama directed by Ildikó Enyedi, featuring three characters from different eras connected by a ginkgo tree in Marburg's botanical gardens. Professor Wong, a neurologist, faces COVID-19 lockdown while conducting experiments on the tree. Grete, a botany student in 1908, confronts sexist professors during her application. Hannes, a student in 1972, reluctantly cares for a geranium, discovering its significance. The film emphasizes the sentience of flora and the intricate relationship between nature and humanity.
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