Green Border

Very complicated topic treated in a masterful way. Committed film, so much so, that many purely political comments and ratings have appeared probably from ¨reviewers¨ who I doubt have even seen the film (calling it boring is simply absurd, giving 1 point in 10 is absurd).

It is difficult not to respond emotionally to the harshness of what is presented to us. Self-security, fear, comfort in the face of the insecurity and suffering of others. Some heroes without hesitation align themselves with those who suffer, others not so much out of comfort or risk and others are simply bad people who take advantage of every situation to bring out the worst in themselves. Whether they are Poles, Belarusians or Muslims is simply circumstantial. Poor people used as cannon food, this is happening in our true world and we are lucky to have people who reflect this with their artwork.

The actors are very good, the script, photography and direction are very good. It is, above all, a very complete film that keeps the viewer in tension and takes them out of their comfort zone.

I loved the different perspectives this movie shown, at first tho i was scared that they would show all guards and people there as bad ones. It is not all black and white like that. There was some things that this movie omitted, but i think the message still is valid. We should all be treated in humanly way, you know. As a sensitive person this movie hit me hard, the pregnant woman scene, like WHO can be heartless like that. I am also big fan of french music, so i loved 'Mourir mille fois' in the soundtrack. Anyway, if u think about watching this movie, than i think its a great way of spending sad autumn afternoon. For sure you will think about this movie for a while. ( If you dont find feelings, emotions etc. Interesting than maybe dont go, cos you will not get the point and probably you'll be bored). Have a nice day people :)

Movies like "Green Border" are tricky. If you're watching it in the first place, you likely already have some awareness of and empathy for the plight of refugees and migrants who are being demonized around the world. If you need to be convinced that they are deserving of empathy, you're probably not ever going to watch this movie. So the onslaught of suffering we are subjected to feels like punishment, like we're being lectured on something we already believe.

I thought I might bail on this movie at about the 30-minute mark. That first half hour is misery porn about a Syrian family trying to make its way across the Belarus/Poland border and the inhumanity they face. I felt for them, but didn't want to watch a movie that was just going to throw in my face misery that I already feel bad about. But veteran director Agnieska Holland had something more varied in mind for this film, and the perspective switches multiple times to show events from the perspective of a Polish border guard, a group of activists trying to help the refugees, and a psychotherapist who turns her outrage into action and joins the cause.

"Green Border" is a well made movie, and it's pretty engrossing. But there's something a little too narratively slick about it. I've seen documentaries about the refugee crisis, and though it tries, this movie doesn't capture the visceral, life or death desperation of those films. Maybe it's not fair to ask it to, but it's hard to feel completely satisfied by this movie's fictional version of what's happening in the world when the real thing is being documented and made available. If this had been my first exposure to the refugee crisis, I might have found it to be more searing than I did. And there's something a little naive about it too. It's very simple in its ideology. All of the refugees and anyone on their side is good, anyone working against the refugees is bad, and there's no nuance or attempt to address the complicated social impact of large masses of people entering countries without the resources to support them. In this movie's version, if we all just open our borders and welcome whoever wants to come in, we'll all live together in a utopian society and won't that be wonderful. But that's not the way the world works. I'm one of the first to wish it did, but I'm more realistic than that. I wish this movie had been more realistic about it too.

But all that aside, it is still a very effective movie, and I found myself more enraged than depressed by it. I'm afraid I might be one of the ineffectual liberals criticized in the movie, people who feel bad about what's happening but don't actually do anything about it. To be fair to myself, I'm not sure exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing, but still, movies like this make me want to just go out in the world and help someone, anyone, so I guess this film serves a valuable purpose in that regard.

Grade: A.

I won't deny that I was prompted to watch the film right after the Polish premiere by how extremists in the government try to use it to their advantage by throwing around statements that are subject to Godwin's law in normal discourse, which at the same time obscures the message and power of the picture. The second reason was my interest in the subject matter covered - for the past two years I have been hearing about the events that have been fictionalized in this powerful and emotionally stirring film. The situation in Ukraine, Belarus, the constant information war and disinformation on the part of Belarus and Russia, the visa scandal in which the government is involved, the dying refugees in the border area between Poland and Belarus.

The visual layer of the film is flawless. The story is told in an intriguing, engaging way, and there are several memorable moments, including some dialogues that, curiously enough, show the surprising self-irony of the middle class supporting the neoliberal opposition. The script and acting were not always flawless, although this did not detract too much from the overall reception of the film, as the film defends itself primarily through its imagery. It is truly unforgettable. I recommend it from the bottom of my heart.

Polish director Agnieszka Holland's impassioned examination of the European refugee crisis from her nation's perspective. Holland's film, which she also co-wrote, is a sprawling work which begins by following a family of Syrians who are trying to the EU through Russian dominated Belarus. From there, the movie weaves it way to the Border Guards and, eventually, ia small band of mostly female Aid workers who give medical and legal assistance to the immigrants.

The structure is a bit daunting even though there are loose connections binding it all together. Cinematographer Tomasz Naumiuk shoots in an austere Black and White with Frédéric Vercheval's brooding score as accompaniment. The large cast is quite good with Maja Ostarszewska a standout as the, perhaps a bit naive Julia, one of the Polish volunteers. Behi Djanati Atai is memorable as a defiant Afghan woman who crosses the border with the Syrians. What knits it together is Holland's vision, which becomes clearer and clearer as the various strands are brought together - while simulataneously being torn assunder.

Holland never flinches from the painful and graphic details of the refugees' plight. They are literal political footballs booted from one side of the border to the other. There are times when the structure doesn't completely work and the filmmaker does dwell a bit on some seemingly extraneous details, but, there is no questioning Holland's fervor - much of it directed at Poland's leadership. It's been a highly controversial film within the nation and its government, and throughout much of Europe.

Unsurprisingly, it was NOT Poland's official submission to this past year's Academy Awards.

At 75, Holland (an Oscar nominee for EUROPA EUROPA) has made a daring - some would say angry - film. A stunning work of art that demands to be seen.