Green Border

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1:48

Green Border

Released Jun 21

2h 27m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

88 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called "green border" between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Finding themselves pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine. Thirty years after her Oscar-nominated film Europa Europa, Agnieszka Holland's poignant and essential Green Border opens our eyes and speaks to the heart, challenging viewers to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day.

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Critics Consensus

With unyielding clarity, Green Border renders a compassionate portrait of the unmerciful landscape that flanks the Polish-Belarusian border.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

AWFJ.org

Green Border is not an easy watch, but it is an indescribably important one, and one of Holland’s most humane and compassionate works yet.

Aug 26, 2024

Full Review

Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

Brutal, field-level depictions of trauma orchestrated by oppressive political structures seeking to manipulate the hearts and minds of some, while dehumanizing others renders Green Border an angry, visceral masterpiece.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 15, 2024

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

The haunted faces of actors such as Jalal Altawil are hard to forget. An extended coda, in which Ukrainian refugees are warmly welcomed by the same Polish guards who tormented Syrian refugees, packs a serious punch.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 13, 2024

Full Review

James Greenberg

culturevulture.net

Holland reveals just how deep this web of fascism goes, how it takes root, how it spreads, and how it plays out.

Nov 22, 2024

Full Review

Pedro Gallego

Espinof

It flows quite effectively between the different stories without any of them losing strength, especially the refugee plot, which is the most pertinent and painful. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Oct 11, 2024

Full Review

Alex Heeney

Seventh Row

Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border is an urgent, fiercely political film about the ongoing migrant crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border... [the] film is inherently humanist and weaves a portrait of the complexities of the problem for everyone involved.

Oct 5, 2024

Full Review

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Sarah S

Thank you for making this film and telling the story of the Green Border. So important to understand what happens when walls are built and people are dehumanized.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/24

Full Review

Sam O

‘Illegal’ immigrant being the key word here…

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/12/24

Full Review

Matthew F

A heart-breaking movie about refugees. An excellent movie but not "fun" to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/12/24

Full Review

Sahar N

It hurts, and reminds you the human feelings. Extremely touching

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/20/24

Full Review

Chad S

Great movie about a difficult subject with many scenes based on interviews with those who experienced crossing the border into Poland. I was lucky enough to see this movie with an Q&A from the legendary director.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/26/24

Full Review

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Agnieszka Holland

Director

Jalal Altawil

Bashir

Maja Ostaszewska

Julia

Behi Djanati Ataï

Leïla

Tomasz Włosok

Jan

Monika Frajczyk

Marta

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Green Border: Trailer 1

1:48

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Synopsis

In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called "green border" between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Finding themselves pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan, a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine. Thirty years after her Oscar-nominated film Europa Europa, Agnieszka Holland's poignant and essential Green Border opens our eyes and speaks to the heart, challenging viewers to reflect on the moral choices that fall to ordinary people every day.

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Marcin Wierzchoslawski
Screenwriter: Maciej Pisuk, Agnieszka Holland, Gabriela Lazarkiewicz
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Beluga Tree, Metro Films, Blick Productions, Astute Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Polish
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 20, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $94.1K
Runtime: 2h 27m

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