“Silent Trees” / dir. Agnieszka Zwiefka / documentary / 2024 / 84 min. / Poland

The crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border has been ongoing since 2021, when totalitarian leader Alexander Lukashenko opened a new migration route that facilitated the arrival of thousands of refugees to the European Union. The Polish government responded by creating a restricted zone around the border. Humanitarian aid is severely limited, and people stranded in the forest are starving and dying from exhaustion and cold.

Teenage Runa’s mother was one of those who perished from hypothermia. The Kurdish girl, along with her father and younger brothers, ends up in a refugee camp, where, contrary to what they hear from the media and TV reports, they encounter kindness and substantial support from the camp staff. However, this solution is temporary, and they are still at risk of deportation. The recent border experiences are not easily forgotten.

In “Silent Trees,” Runa undergoes a rapid coming-of-age process, learning a new language while taking care of her four siblings, supporting her disoriented father in finding work in a new reality, and thinking about her own future and well-being. Overwhelmed and exhausted, Runa finds solace in creating drawings in her sketchbook, which come to life on screen through animation.

Agnieszka Zwiefka, by focusing on teenage Runa, tells not just about the border conflict but creates a universal story of growing up amidst the global refugee crisis. It captures all its uncertainties, traumas, the ability to quickly adapt to new conditions and roles, and the shared idols of her peers in the imagined West.