"Silent Friend tells three separate stories, all set in different periods across more than a century, but rooted in the same location: the University of Marburg in Germany. First, we meet a neuroscientist named Tony, played by the Hong Kong star Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who's visiting the school as a guest researcher. It's 2020, and when COVID-19 hits, Tony is left stranded on a near-empty campus. Bored and lonely, he stumbles on some online videos featuring a French botanist, Alice, played by Lea Seydoux, and is captivated by her theory that plants have a highly developed consciousness."
"Inspired, Tony plans an experiment and gets in touch with Alice via Zoom to ask for her guidance. Tony's experiment involves attaching electronic sensors to the leaves and trunk of a nearly 200-year-old ginkgo biloba tree and studying the resulting data to see what, if anything, the plant might be trying to communicate. In a way, this tree is the true protagonist of Silent Friend; it's the only character old enough to appear in all three time frames."
"In the earliest story, set in 1908, an aspiring botanist named Grete, played by Luna Wedler, becomes the first female student admitted to the university. As she pursues her studies, she trains to become a photographer and develops a deeper aesthetic appreciation of the flowers"
Silent Friend presents three stories across more than a century at the University of Marburg in Germany, linked by a single ginkgo biloba tree. In 2020, neuroscientist Tony Leung Chiu-wai is stranded on an empty campus during COVID-19 and becomes captivated by a French botanist’s theory that plants have developed consciousness. He attaches electronic sensors to the tree’s leaves and trunk and studies the data while seeking guidance via Zoom. In 1908, Grete becomes the first female student admitted to the university, trains as a photographer, and develops a stronger aesthetic appreciation of flowers. The tree remains the only character appearing in all time periods, serving as the central presence throughout the narratives.
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