Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Silent Trees

Play trailer Silent Trees 2024 1h 24m Documentary Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 6 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
Runa, a 16-year-old Kurdish refugee, and her family are stranded in an icy forest in the Belarusian-Polish border, denied entry into either country. The film begins with Runa forced to care for her brothers and helpless father after her pregnant mother dies from the harsh conditions. Confined within a Polish refugee camp, the family grapples with trauma and the challenges of adapting to a new life. Runa finds comfort in drawing, which morphs into animated sequences that capture her dreams and nightmares. A coming-of-age story set against the global refugee crisis, told through a creative fusion of documentary and animation.

Critics Reviews

View More
Siddhant Adlakha Variety 05/15/2024
A documentary about harrowing loss and fleeting joy Go to Full Review Lorna Cady Film Ireland Magazine May 27
Silent Trees offers hard-hitting insight into the plight of refugees, and the dreadful situations that arise in today's world. Seeing Runa's family struggle, drives home the emotional truth of the horrors real families are enduring. Go to Full Review Jonita Davis The Black Cape (Medium) Mar 7
Silent Trees is a “must-watch” documentary for every American. We need to be reminded that the wars in Eastern Europe are being fought with human casualties. Like 16-year Rona’s pregnant mother, who froze to death while the family waited for asylum Go to Full Review Alex Heeney Seventh Row 07/07/2024
It’s a moving story, but its adherence to a similar structure as Flee makes it feel like a story we’ve heard. I’m glad to see more and more of these refugee stories. Go to Full Review Stephen Saito Moveable Fest 05/14/2024
The story itself isn’t an rare one, but Zwiefka’s treatment is unusually touching as the audience can see what the family does as they choose to make the best of a bad situation without diminishing how difficult it is. Go to Full Review Bobby LePire Film Threat 05/14/2024
9.5/10
Zwiefka directs with a commanding, assured eye and lets all watching understand the inner turmoil of the documentary’s subject. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

View All

Agnieszka Zwiefka

Director

Agnieszka Zwiefka

Screenwriter

Agnieszka Zwiefka

Producer

Zofia Kujawska

Producer

Heino Deckert

Producer

Hanka Kastelicová

Executive Producer
View All

Silent Trees

Silent trees (2024) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Runa, a 16-year-old Kurdish refugee, and her family are stranded in an icy forest in the Belarusian-Polish border, denied entry into either country. The film begins with Runa forced to care for her brothers and helpless father after her pregnant mother dies from the harsh conditions. Confined within a Polish refugee camp, the family grapples with trauma and the challenges of adapting to a new life. Runa finds comfort in drawing, which morphs into animated sequences that capture her dreams and nightmares. A coming-of-age story set against the global refugee crisis, told through a creative fusion of documentary and animation.
Director
Agnieszka Zwiefka
Producer
Agnieszka Zwiefka, Zofia Kujawska, Heino Deckert
Screenwriter
Agnieszka Zwiefka
Production Co
Chilli Productions, ma.ja.de Filmproduktions, HBO Max
Genre
Documentary, Animation
Runtime
1h 24m