In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called “green border” between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are lured by government propaganda promising easy passage to the European Union. Unable to cross in Europe and unable to turn back, they find themselves trapped in a rapidly escalating geopolitical stand-off. An unflinching depiction of the migrant crisis captured in stark black and white, this riveting film explores the intractable issue from multiple perspectives: a Syrian family fleeing ISIS caught between cruel border guards in both countries; young guards instructed to brutalize and reject the migrants; and activists who aid the refugees and great personal risk.
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival, The Green Border is the latest film from the brilliant, thrice-Oscar-nominated Polish director Angieszka Holland, whose previous work includes Europa, Europa (1990), The Secret Garden (1993), The Angry Harvest (1985) and In Darkness (2011), as well as handful of episodes of the greatest American TV series ever, The Wire.
The film has received largely glowing reviews from the international press, prior to its June 21 release in the U.S. The Evening Standard said that Holland was “Like a skilled conductor, directing this large orchestra of players to produce an incredible ensemble work that will remain in the memory long after viewing,” while Variety called the film “a heart-in-mouth thriller set on the Polish-Belarusian border that wraps its social critique in the razor wire of punchy, intelligent cinematic craft.”