Silent Friend

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1:56

Silent Friend

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2h 25m

Drama

History

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Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed 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. We follow their clumsy, awkward attempts to connect -- each one of them deeply rooted in their own present - as they are transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature. The ancient ginkgo tree brings us closer to what it means to be human -- to our longing to belong.

Critics Consensus

Surveying the natural world and the people who wander through it with generous empathy, Silent Friend is one of writer-director Idikó Enyedi's most lyrical and profound efforts yet.

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Jordan Mintzer

The Hollywood Reporter

18h

Enyedi is a master stylist who knows how to create a certain mood, mixing visual poetry with deadpan humor, and big ideas with quotidian foibles, in a film that explores our mysterious relationship with both the green world and one another.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

1d

3/5

There’s much to admire and to revel in up onscreen.

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Clint Worthington

RogerEbert.com

1d

4/4

To expect answers, ’Silent Friend' argues, is folly. Just immerse yourself in the curiosity.

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Alice Shih

Original Cin

1h

A

Enyedi gripping drama, beautifully and inventively shot by cinematographer Gergely Pálos, tells audiences how important it is to slow down, connect and comprehend, especially when another party does not seem to be readily communicable.

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Allyson Johnson

But Why Tho?

21h

8/10

With careful direction that maintains the significance of nature in our lives without assigning a meaning beyond what the characters seek, Silent Friend is a gorgeous, somewhat inexplicable character study.

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Sarah Gorr

The Spool

1d

Part of what makes Silent Friend so special is Enyedi’s refusal to shy away from the ugliness that can be part of what binds us.

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Giovanni P.

@imgiovanni 6d

A stunningly beautiful and meticulously well made film. Tony Leung draws you into his world in one of the most intelligent and compelling performances of the year.

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MADELEINE T

@Madalone 6d

If you enjoy sprawling out in a field and watching and listening to the grass grow, you will like this film. Silent Friend is a slow moving tale about lonely people yearning to merge with spiritus mundi. I have given it five stars because living in a hi tech, concrete and steel world, it is comforting to muse upon living as one with the natural world. There was some silliness at the very end, but, how do you end the infinite?

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Stephen C

@bob25009 May 8

Based on a true story in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

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Ildikó Enyedi

Director

Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Actor

Luna Wedler

Actor

Enzo Brumm

Actor

Sylvester Groth

Actor

Martin Wuttke

Actor

Silent Friend: Trailer 1

1:56

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Synopsis

In the heart of a botanical garden in a medieval university town in Germany stands a majestic ginkgo tree. This silent witness has observed 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. We follow their clumsy, awkward attempts to connect -- each one of them deeply rooted in their own present - as they are transformed by the quiet, enduring, and mysterious power of nature. The ancient ginkgo tree brings us closer to what it means to be human -- to our longing to belong.

Director: Ildikó Enyedi
Producer: Reinhard Brundig, Mónika Mécs, Nicolas Elghozi, Meng Xie
Screenwriter: Ildikó Enyedi
Distributor: 1-2 Special
Production Co: Pandora Film, Inforg-M&M Film, Galatée Films, Rediance
Genre: Drama, History
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 25m