Silent Friend

One ginkgo tree, three stories that unfold in its vicinity over more than a century. Ildikó Enyedi’s masterpiece – starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux – is a fanciful, light and gentle weave of suggestions. Emotions echo through decades and images return with minuscule variations.

In 1908, Grete becomes her German university’s first female student. Unperturbed if sometimes slightly disturbed by the behaviour of the professors as well as fellow students, she finds her calling not in biology but in photography. Sixty-four years on, Hannes cultivates a serious crush on Gundula. While taking care of her final thesis experiment for a few days, he begins a relationship of a most unexpected kind – with a geranium.

Finally, in our recent past, during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, neuroscientist Tony from Hong Kong finds himself trapped in the otherwise empty university living quarters. His only companion is a grumpy caretaker, while his main intellectual confidant resides far away and can only be reached via video calls.

The latest masterpiece from Ildikó Enyedi (On Body and Soul, 2017) is a fanciful, light and gentle weave of suggestions – emotions echo through decades, images return in miniscule variations and life goes on; changing, but unchanged.

– Olaf Möller