The Hidden Life of Trees

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The Hidden Life of Trees

PG

Released Jul 16, 2021

1h 40m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

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18 Reviews

71%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

Branching off of his bestselling book, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most precious ideas and understanding of how trees work in this enlightening documentary. Presenting ecological, biological and academic expertise with matter of fact candor, Peter inspires us to really see the forest for the trees. Traveling through Germany, Poland, Sweden and Vancouver, Peter discusses, debates and explains the amazing process of life, death and regeneration he has observed in the woodland, and the amazing scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of which we are too often blissfully unaware. A walk in the woods will never be the same after watching THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES. Based on his best-selling book that has profoundly changed our understanding of forests, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most enlightening ideas. Presenting his ecological, biological and academic expertise with infectious enthusiasm and candor, Wohlleben travels through Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Vancouver to illustrate the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland for decades. The result is an immersive and eye-opening look at the scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of nature.

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Kate Taylor

Globe and Mail

Based on the 2015 book of the same title, The Hidden Life of Trees is a documentary both simple and startling.

Aug 25, 2021

Full Review

Nell Minow

RogerEbert.com

Perhaps in tribute to its subject matter, it is slow in spots. That may just be a way to give us more of a sense of tree-time, rather than human-time.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 16, 2021

Full Review

Devika Girish

New York Times

"The Hidden Life of Trees" uses the sensorial capacities of cinema to thrillingly visualize Wohlleben's observations.

Jul 15, 2021

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Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

Rigorous scientific research by world-class botanists has proven, with all the required boxes ticked, that plants are sentient beings with sensory organs and emotions. Trees are Ents. Humans just aren't fluent in Entish yet.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 6, 2022

Full Review

Carlos Marañón

Cinemanía (Spain)

leads us to raise interesting reflections on what the concept of conserving is today versus the idea of progress. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Nov 19, 2021

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Original Cin

A pleasant enough and informative walk in the forest with German environmental author Peter Wohlleben's but his focus on the human qualities of trees seems at least half-nonsensical.

Sep 22, 2021

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william k

Fairly interesting documentary is more a portrait of the author than a serious and barely scientifically based presentation of its actual topic: the trees.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

john s

ROOTS If a tree falls in a forest, does it hurt? Peter Wohlleben would like a word, or several thousand. "The Hidden Life of Trees" follows the maverick tree hugger around as he tries to make the case for a complex, communicating community of wood. Based on his best selling book of the same name, the documentary brings the lanky German to life as a media savvy eco-warrior with some astounding propositions. Dispelling some startling myths like our misguided attempt to reseed the forest instead of letting nature do all the work, is chief to the power of this film. The composting, self-fertilizing nature of rotting trees, and the connection with the entire ecosystem is an eye-opener. Wohlleben gets a little carried away though, whimsically portraying trees as sentient beings capable of high level communication. Yes there is some kind of interplay here in nature's wonderland, which humans are probably best to leave the damn alone, but social advances by trees like making agreements with fungi, would be better served with less magical wonder and more actual science. The movie works best when presenting clinical facts with beautiful cinematography, aiming at the just the right balance of eco awareness, eco dread, and possible eco solutions. Trees do appear to be more complex than anyone ever imagined and their existence is chief to our own, so a better understanding of what the heck is going on in the woods is probably a pretty good idea. Wohlleben comes across as a lone wolf advocate, which sadly, is the case for many an important cause. This doc just might change all that. - hipCRANK

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

dave d

Hubby and wife date afternoon documentary with 'The Hidden life of Trees'. With excitement like this who needs action thrillers?! This is a wonderful and tidy and informative doc on how trees survive, communicate and thrive in a world less and less welcoming. Perfect for a High School classroom and great for adults who may need a reminder what our nature is becoming. It's not preachy and it's fact based. A very necessary and beautiful film. Hubby: 8.1/Wife 7.9 Average: 8/10

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jörg Adolph

Director

Jan Haft

Director

Peter Wohlleben

Self

Franziska Henke

Original Music

Friederich Oetker

Producer

Jan Haft

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

Branching off of his bestselling book, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most precious ideas and understanding of how trees work in this enlightening documentary. Presenting ecological, biological and academic expertise with matter of fact candor, Peter inspires us to really see the forest for the trees. Traveling through Germany, Poland, Sweden and Vancouver, Peter discusses, debates and explains the amazing process of life, death and regeneration he has observed in the woodland, and the amazing scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of which we are too often blissfully unaware. A walk in the woods will never be the same after watching THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES. Based on his best-selling book that has profoundly changed our understanding of forests, renowned forester and writer Peter Wohlleben guides us through his most enlightening ideas. Presenting his ecological, biological and academic expertise with infectious enthusiasm and candor, Wohlleben travels through Germany, Poland, Sweden, and Vancouver to illustrate the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland for decades. The result is an immersive and eye-opening look at the scientific mechanisms behind these wonders of nature.

Director: Jörg Adolph, Jan Haft
Producer: Friederich Oetker
Screenwriter: Jörg Adolph
Distributor: MPI Media Group
Production Co: Constantin Film
Rating: PG (Brief Language|Some Suggestive Material|Smoking)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 16, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2021
Runtime: 1h 40m

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