When only judged based on its premise, “Silent Friend” (Original title: “Stille Freundin,” 2025) might sound like the type of unbearably pretentious arthouse cinema that even the most obnoxious of film buffs might steer clear of. Beyond the fact that it’s a work of slow cinema that spans a leisurely 150 minutes, “Silent Friend” isn’t a film with a particularly propulsive plot.
It’s centered around a specific place and shows how different figures passed through it. What could easily have been a toothless work of dispassionate reflection was actually filled with life, hope, and spirited discussion on the derivations of time. “Silent Friend” may not be for those who are opposed to experimental cinema, but it’s a surprisingly humane film that features some of the year’s best performances.
“Silent Friend” is set in a German town that has transformed from the site of an insular, misogynistic university to a robust and welcoming environment for scientists and researchers from all walks of life over the course of a century. The first thread with “Silent Friend” is set in 1908, where the university’s first female student, Grete (Luna Wedler), begins to notice patterns within nature as she escapes from her hostile environment of peers.
In 1972, it’s the rough-and-rowdy teenager Hannes (Enzo Brumm) who picks up Grete’s research as he grows obsessed with the curious young woman Gundula (Marlene Burow). It’s not until 2020 that the neuroscientist Dr. Tony Wong (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) theorizes that there may be a way to apply his human-based research to the biology of trees.
This type of multi-generational exploration of a specific place has been attempted before, with “The Tree of Life” and “A Ghost Story” being two recent examples. What makes “Silent Friend” unique is that it fully commits to each of its three timelines. Without unnecessarily trying to note the similarities between the three sets of characters, writer/director Ildikó Enyedi finds familiar notes that reflect their collective humanity.
Each of these windows into time examines a point at which society has grown more introverted, and thus more susceptible to the allure of nature. Grete is isolated when she feels that she doesn’t belong, Hannes is a hedonist who begins to think more existentially, and Wong is devoid of human contact at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Although “Silent Friend” does get more cryptic and surrealist during its arresting final act, the film is not devoid of pleasures, and succeeds in taking a relatively straightforward approach to each segment. There’s a simple inspirational pleasure in seeing Grete find meaning during a period where she’s discouraged from ever having ambitions, and the 1972 segment has some surprisingly humorous and sensual moments, particularly thanks to the tremendous breakout performance from Brumm.
Although it might feel a little bit ironic that it’s the most modern segment of “Silent Friend” that feels most downbeat and obtuse, Enyedi does not fail to take advantage of the star power she’s attached to her film. Leung has been one of the greatest actors in the world for nearly three decades, and he’s particularly strong at evoking the silent, wistful feelings of loneliness needed for such a thoughtful character.
“Silent Friend” is also a masterwork in editing, as Enyedi has found a way to weave in and between her stories without ever disrupting the flow of the narrative. Given that Leung’s segment is often the most technical and morose, it makes sense to pepper in a few of the romantic interludes with Hannes and Gundala. It’s also impressive to see the degree to which the production design is subtly altered to reflect the evolution of a single place throughout many different lifecycles and global events. Given the film’s length, Enyedi seems comfortable in allowing the viewers to bear witness to the meticulous nature of her work.
The pacing of the film is often deliberately jarring. If viewers weren’t already attuned to the idea that nature requires patience to yield insight, then “Silent Friend” is able to spend long segments lingering in the rustling of leaves or the silence of solitude. This could have grown tiring if the film hadn’t already taught its viewers how to watch it, as characters like Hannes, Grete, and Wong steadily learn what the value is of letting wisdom come to them in time.
The film is also not oblivious to the fact that its premise has limits in truly developing characters that feel well-rounded. There are enough details about the interiority of their lives, and it’s never suggested that their entire existence is based around meditating on the growth of a tree.
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The deeper philosophical notes to some of the more austere moments in “Silent Friend” may prove elusive on a first viewing, but the metaphor in the film’s title is fairly obvious. Nature is a friend to all, even if it doesn’t require acknowledgment. At the same time, “Silent Friend” reflects on the profundity of time and its ripple effects, as there are revelations and accomplishments that become more evident as the film switches between eras. Even if the visual of the tree’s seeds slowly growing into branches is a bit on-the-nose, it’s an effective motif.
It may seem unusual to describe a film as artfully minded as “Silent Friend” to be a “hangout movie,” but there is something quite warming about the leisurely approach that Enyedi has taken. It’s not a film that makes any attempts to mask what it is, but it’s also not exclusively high-minded. There’s language used to make the esoteric ideas more palpable, with the introduction of the great Lea Seydoux as the French scientist Alice Sauvage, adding momentum to a particularly languid stretch of scenes. There are a lot worse ways to spend time than to listen to Seydoux and Leung engage in friendly discussions about their respective research.
“Silent Friend” is, perhaps intentionally, a film that is intended to stand the test of time; Enyedi’s decision to make the most recent segment of the story slightly removed from the present speaks to her foresight in examining the specificity of each era. It’s a work of grandeur and beauty that may require focus and intention, but never feels uninviting.
