Popular reviews

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  Review by Josh Lewis ★★★ 2

  There's a certain level of commitment to the righteous political anger that fuels its depiction of the migrant refugee crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border in as horrible, unsanitized a fashion as possible that is fully deserving of the admiration it's going to get. To the point where Agnieszka Holland has basically completely destroyed her relationship with her home country over it and has been compared to a Nazi propagandist by the Polish right-wing; they aren't wrong in the sense that this is a pretty effective, miserable political message movie (they are just wrong about the message itself being a bad one!) and one of the more purely upsetting things I saw at TIFF this year. Showing Polish border patrol beating…

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  Review by pirateneckbeard ★★★★ 3

  Geez I'm a little green in the gills after seeing this. Agnieszka Holland puts you through the ringer here in a story of four chapters(and a coda) of characters overlapping each others arc and showcase everyone's view of the material.
  Even though it is challenging I found myself riveted with the subject matter and it's mainly unrelenting pace the had me invested throughout. It really is emotionally crippling in it's story which is an amalgamation of factual narratives that break your heart.
  Starts in colour but quickly turns to black and white to showcase these atrocities like we think of WW2 in comparison which is smart plus this looks sumptuous and crisp in it's images are riveting.
  Sure it's a…

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  Review by nick ★★★★

  Green Border is one of the most important movies in 2023. The European refugee crisis has never been presented in such a closeup, intense manner, and Agnieszka Holland offered one of the most emotionally potent outputs in her glorious career.

  At the Poland-Belarus border, immigrants from outside of Europe have been brutally passed around between these two countries for years, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. Mixing fiction with reality, Holland documented this humanitarian crisis with gripping enactments from different perspectives: immigrants, border guards, and Polish activists who stop at nothing to offer help. It's both an infuriating and moving experience seeing the misery of immigrants caused by irresponsible politicians, as well as how the best of humanity always shines through. Highly recommended.

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  Review by Dominik Piekarski ★★★★

  Spot wyborczy PO? Nie, spójrzcie sobie w jaki rasistowski sposób traktują uchodźców w obliczu zbliżających się wyborów.
  Antypolski? W przypadku tego filmu zdecydowanie wygrywają Ci dobrzy Polacy, którzy pomagają, więc to prawackie pierdolenie.
  Obraża polski mundur? Tak i bardzo dobrze, ale też nie, bo za mundurem stoją również dobrzy ludzie.
  Aktywizm? Jak najbardziej, ale co w tym złego, od tego jest każde medium, tym bardziej film.
  W obecnej sytuacji geopolitycznej zrobienie tego filmu było średnim pomysłem? Nie, cierpienie wszystkich ludzi na granicy zasługiwało na takie dzieło. Zasługiwało na zauważenie i jak widać w obecnych realiach było potrzebne, bo niektórzy ludzie są w stanie nazwać ten film najgorszym nawet go nie oglądając.
  Toporne? Nie powiedziałbym, bezpośredniość pomaga przy dosadności. Wydźwięk emocjonalny,…

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  Review by Realkinoshit ★★★★½ 2

  TGHFF2023 #7

  Leïla: What’s your name?
  Nur: Kylian Mbappé 🥷🐢

  You know a movie is good when there’s a Tarkovsky tribute scene 🔥

  Set between Belarus and Poland, this film delves into a geopolitical crisis where refugees from the Middle East and Africa aim to reach the European Union. The movie unfolds through multiple segments, primarily narrated from three distinct perspectives: a refugee family, border police, and humanitarian rescue teams. While many films touching on border issues focus on the perspective of the escapees, I appreciate how this one showcases different perspectives.

  I value its realistic portrayal of border issues while not neglecting the artistic aspect of filmmaking. The inclusion of excellent shots and well-crafted metaphors elevates the film, reminding…

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  Review by Kevflix And Chill ★★★½

  Green Border is a hauntingly effective drama that places you at the heart of the humanitarian crisis along the Belarus-Poland border. By weaving together the perspectives of refugees, border agents, and humanitarian groups, the film paints a harrowing portrait of people caught in a cruel limbo—volleyed back and forth across borders with no sanctuary in sight.
  The films strength lies in humanizing every side of the conflict, from the refugees’ desperate hope to the agents’ conflicted obedience to orders. A sobering and empathetic exploration of a deeply complex issue. The black and white cinematography looks excellent. The filmmaking is quite immersive and instilled with an amount if realism. At times, I forgot that I was not watching a documentary feature. Spirit Award nominee

  2024 Ranked
  
  Degrees of Kevin Bacon: 2
  1. Maja Ostaszewska and Embeth Davidtz in Schindler’s List
  2. Embeth Davidtz and Kevin Bacon in Murder in the First

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  Review by 𝚮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊 ❤️‍🔥 ★★★½ 2

  Empathy costs nothing.

  The Polish government's ABHORRENT campaign of hatred towards this movie will only make more people see it! 🐷💪🏻

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  Review by john ★★★★½

  Extremely upsetting and NOT the movie to watch drunk.

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  Review by Matt Neglia ★★★★

  GREEN BORDER is an unflinching, distressing & powerful look at the European refugee crisis particularly between Poland & Belarus. Agnieszka Holland has crafted her best film since “Europa Europa.” It rightfully has people upset but more importantly it will hopefully get people talking. A vital & righteous piece of filmmaking with many heartbreaking performances & an unsubtle gut punch of a finale.

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  Review by Öykü Sofuoğlu ★★½ 11

  How to depict Muslim people for white directors:
  - make them pray on their prayer rug in every occassion possible - even when running from border police
  - make them say allah every two seconds
  - always bring up the halal / haram food problem 
  - repeat

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  Review by Robert (he/him) ★★★★½ 2

  No one should want to watch this, but every European should.

  Holland brutally exposes the inhumane, but lets compassion prevail. Despite the heaviness of the film there’s some humor too. The four different perspectives make for a layered portrayal of the conflict. The opening shot, the only one in color, is a symbolically powerful one. The quality of the performances is a bit mixed, but more leaning towards good. The epilogue reflects on the difference in reception of Ukrainian refugees, compared to the human beings knocking on the EU’s doors a year prior. High praise for Holland for calling out the hypocrisy. Graphic and excessive in its depiction of violence for sure, but unfortunately it does serve a purpose, unlike much of the pointless violence shown at the festival. Should have been this year’s Golden Lion.

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  Review by Joshua Dysart ★★★½ 13

  In late 2014 I was in convoy with The World Food Programme in Iraqi Kurdistan. My job was to interview every Syrian refugee fleeing the civil war and every Kurd and Yazidi fleeing the rise of Da’esh (Isis) that we came across so I could make educational materials in comic book form that would reveal these people’s lives and struggles.

  There were millions of refugees and internally displaced people in the region at that time. Kurdistan’s post-Iraq economic surge and construction boom had come to a halt because of the population pour. Large buildings stood unfinished and their concrete skeletons had become multi-tiered, dense housing, the people on the higher levels completely vulnerable to the early winter winds and rains.…