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Silent Friend

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silent Friend
German theatrical release poster
GermanStille Freundin
Directed byIldikó Enyedi
Written byIldikó Enyedi
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGergely Pálos
Edited byKároly Szalai
Music by
  • Gábor Keresztes
  • Kristóf Kelemen
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Pandora Film (Germany)
  • Mozinet [hu] (Hungary)
Release dates
  • 5 September 2025 (2025-09-05) (Venice)
  • 15 January 2026 (2026-01-15) (Germany)
Running time
147 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • France
  • Hungary
  • Hong Kong
Languages
  • German
  • English
  • Cantonese

Silent Friend (German: Stille Freundin) is a 2025 historical drama film written and directed by Ildikó Enyedi. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Léa Seydoux, Luna Wedler, Sylvester Groth and Martin Wuttke, it follows a single ginkgo tree through three loosely connected stories in different eras: 1908, 1972, and 2020, taking place in the old university town of Marburg, Germany.[2]

The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2025, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Wedler. It was theatrically released in Germany by Pandora Film on 15 January 2026.

Plot

[edit]

In 1908, Grete, a determined young German woman, applies to become one of the first female students admitted to theMarburg University. During her entrance examination, the botanic department professor's board attempts to humiliate her with sexually charged questions on Linnaeus' classification of plants, that reveal both the professors' gender bias and her scientific knowledge. Overwhelmed, she runs to the Botanischer Garten Marburg adjacent to the campus, which includes an old ginkgo tree; she then finds out that she was the only woman accepted by the committee.

After attending a female group gathering at the ginkgo tree in the early morning hours, Grete is expelled from the home where she is renting a room, accused of promiscuity. Sheltered by Herr Fuchs, who hires her as an assistant in his photography studio, Grete grows fond of professional photography work, capturing her research objects. At the University, she applies to a college trip to the "East Indies", offering her work as a professional photographer.

In 1972, Hannes lives in a shared house near the campus, spending his time near the ginkgo tree. His neighbor, Gundula, researches people-plant interactions. Hannes is initially indifferent, due to the farm work he endured in his youth, but attempts to connect with her through Goethe's Metamorphosis of Plants; she rebukes him for his lack of knowledge. At a campfire, she asks if he wants to have sex with her, which a confused Hannes quickly denies. Gundula leaves for a trip, leaving him responsible for watering the plants, particularly a geranium in her room connected to a sensor.

Hannes overwaters it, displaying a strong reaction on the sensor. Fascinated, Hannes improves the functions of the sensor, enabling it to open the gate of the residence when it senses his presence. Hannes leaves a student protest to water the garden, with two classmates accompanying him. While watering the plants, the gate opens as the men carelessly drink and smoke in the same room as the geranium; Hannes kicks them out. Later, Hannes receives a postcard from Gundula where she mentions another student named Peter has expressed interest in her. Hannes is annoyed, and the geranium mirrors his disapproval.

In 2020, neurologist Dr. Tony Wong travels to the university to complete his research on newborn brain activity; shortly after his first class, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts his plans. Unable to continue his work, Wong frequents the garden, where he grows fond of the old ginkgo tree dating back to 1832. Advised by French botanist Dr. Alice Sauvage, he adapts a new research study to match his own neurological activity with the ginkgo's activity.

Attaching a brain scanner to the tree, he suspects a deep relationship between what is seen and unseen. Anton, the janitor, is confused and distressed by the research, destroying the equipment. Alice sends male ginkgo tree pollen to fertilize the Marburg's solitary female ginkgo. Anton comes to terms with Wong, offering him a local German dish. Both of them sit to watch the ginkgo's fertilization process through the scanner.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]
The film was shot at the Alter Botanischer Garten Marburg.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai was announced as a cast member in August 2023; director Ildikó Enyedi stated that she wrote the role specifically for him.[3] It marked Leung's second film outside of Asia, after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and his first European production.[4]

It is a German-French-Hungarian-Chinese co-production, and is produced by Pandora Film (Germany), Galatée Films (France), Inforg - M&M Film (Hungary) and Radiance Films (China), in co-production with Arte France Cinéma and ZDF/Arte.[5]

In November 2023, the film received a €500,000 production grant from Eurimages.[6] The Hesse Film Office [de] awarded the film €550,000.[7][8] The film was also supported by National Film Institute Hungary, German Federal Film Fund (DFFF), Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, BKM, Filmförderungsanstalt, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, Moin Filmförderung and MEDIA Programme of the European Union.[5]

Filming

[edit]

Principal photography began in April 2024. The film was primarily shot in Marburg, specifically at the Alter Botanischer Garten Marburg at the Marburg University.[7][8] Filming also took place in Cologne.[2] The film includes a scene depicting the animated videos used in a prior experiment with infants.[9]

Aiming to distinguish the time periods, Hungarian cinematographer Gergely Pálos shot them in various formats: the 1908 German Empire segment was filmed in black-and-white 35 mm film; the 1972 West Germany segment was filmed in 16 mm film; and the 2020 contemporary Germany segment was filmed digitally.[10] It marked Pálos first collaboration with Enyedi. Károly Szalai served as editor. Hungarian musicians Gábor Keresztes and Kristóf Kelemen composed the original score.[5][10]

Release

[edit]
Preview screening of Silent Friend in the presence of Tony Leung Chiu-wai, at the Cinéma Capitole (Swiss Film Archive, 2026).

Films Boutique acquired the international sales rights to the film in May 2024.[11] The film was presented at the Cannes Film Market in May 2025.[12] A trailer was released on 4 September 2025.[13] The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2025,[14] followed by its North American premiere on 9 September at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[15] It was also screened at the BFI London Film Festival.[16] In November 2025, Silent Friend screened at the 46th Cairo International Film Festival where Ildikó Enyedi received a lifetime achievement Award and presented a masterclass titled "Poetry of reality".[17]

It was theatrically released in Germany by Pandora Film on 15 January 2026.

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 61 critics' reviews are positive.[18]

Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 90 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]

Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline wrote that the film is "beautiful, elusive and peppered with provocative nuggets about the nature of life and our place in it."[20]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 6 September 2025 Golden Lion Ildikó Enyedi Nominated [21]
FIPRESCI Prize Won [22]
Premio CinemaSarà Won
Edipo Re Award Won
Green Drop Award Won
Leoncino d'Oro Award – Cinema of UNICEF Won
Marcello Mastroianni Award Luna Wedler Won [23]
Chicago International Film Festival 24 October 2025 Gold Hugo Silent Friend Nominated [24]
Best Cinematography Gergely Pálos Won [25]
Valladolid International Film Festival 1 November 2025 Silver Spike Silent Friend Won [26]
San Francisco International Film Festival 26 April 2026 Sloan Science on Screen Award Silent Friend Won [27]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Silent Friend [M]". Australian Classification Board. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 Vena, Teresa (23 September 2024). "Ildikó Enyedi working on her new feature, Silent Friend". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (23 August 2023). "Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Joins Cast of 'Silent Friend' From 'On Body and Soul' Director Ildiko Enyedi (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  4. ↑ Balaga, Marta (1 September 2025). "Tony Leung Already Wants to Reunite With His 'Silent Friend' Helmer But Marvel Sequel Still Up in the Air: 'I Go With the Flow' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "PANDORA FILM Produktion - SILENT FRIEND". www.pandorafilm.com. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  6. ↑ González, David (28 November 2023). "Eurimages supports 29 co-productions". Cineuropa. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  7. 1 2 Habeck, Jascha (21 April 2024). "Setbesuch bei "Silent Friend" in Marburg: Internationales Filmprojekt mit Staraufgebot". Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Kunst und Kultur (in German). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  8. 1 2 Heueis, Freddy (22 April 2024). "Bärengewinnerin dreht "Silent Friend" in Marburg". Blickpunkt:Film [de] (in German). Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Tauzin, Tibor; Gergely, György (2018). "Communicative mind-reading in preverbal infants". Scientific Reports. 8 (1). doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27804-4. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6015048. PMID 29934630.
  10. 1 2 "Silent Friend". TIFF. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Dams, Tim (17 May 2024). "Films Boutique acquires Ildiko Enyedi's 'Silent Friend' starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. ↑ Balaga, Marta (13 May 2025). "Ildiko Enyedi's 'Silent Friend,' Laszlo Nemes' 'Orphan' Lead Hungarian Projects at Cannes Film Market". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  13. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (4 September 2025). "'Silent Friend' Trailer: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Stars In Venice Contender Revolving Around Ancient Ginkgo Tree". Deadline. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (5 September 2025). "'Silent Friend' Debuts In Venice With A 5-Minute-Plus Ovation". Deadline. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (21 July 2025). "TIFF Galas & Presentations: World Premieres 'Good Fortune', 'Nuremberg', Sydney Sweeney Pic 'Christy', Angelina Jolie 'Couture'; North American Debuts Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein', Dwayne Johnson 'Smashing Machine'". Deadline. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Ntim, Zac (3 September 2025). "BFI London Film Festival: Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet' & Kate Moss Biopic 'Moss & Feud' Among Headline Titles — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "Hungarian Director Ildikó Enyedi Accepts FIPRESCI 100 Lifetime Achievement Award in Cairo". Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Silent Friend". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 11 June 2026. Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ↑ "Silent Friend". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Bunbury, Stephanie (5 September 2025). "'Silent Friend' Review: A Mesmerizing Reflection On Humans, Plants & How We Might Communicate – Venice Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
  21. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick; Shafer, Ellise (22 July 2025). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia' With Emma Stone, Benny Safdie's 'Smashing Machine,' Luca Guadagnino's 'After the Hunt' and More". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  22. ↑ "Collateral awards and events of the 82nd Venice Film Festival". Venice Film Festival. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  23. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (6 September 2025). "Venice Film Festival – Jim Jarmusch's 'Father Mother Sister Brother' Is Golden Lion Winner; 'Voice of Hind Rajab' Takes Grand Jury Prize; Benny Safdie Best Director for 'The Smashing Machine'". Deadline. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Jeremy Kay (10 September 2025). "'Sound Of Falling', 'Sirât', 'La Grazia' among Chicago international competition picks". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "Festival Award Winners". Cinema Chicago. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  26. ↑ Blanes, Pepa (1 November 2025). "Espiga de Oro 'ex aequo' para 'The Mastermind' de Kelly Reichardt y para la producción española 'Magallanes' de Lav Diaz" [The Golden Spike award was shared by Kelly Reichardt's 'The Mastermind' and Lav Diaz's Spanish co-production 'Magallanes'.]. Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 November 2025.
  27. ↑ "SFFILM Announces the 2026 Honorees of the Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative". SFFilm. 25 April 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silent_Friend&oldid=1366854244"