By winning the Jury Prize at the latest Venice Film Festival, the internationally renowned Polish director Agnieszka Holland proved that with her "Green Border" she has created an extraordinarily timely work addressing the issue of refugees abandoned in the border territory between the Polish and Belarusian borders, which became the scene of horrendous crimes against humanity.

In reconstructing some episodes dating back to 2021 we follow the point of view of different characters: Bashir and Leila try together with the rest of the family to take refuge in Sweden passing through Poland, ending up captured and expelled beyond the barrier by the police forces.

Jan is trained according to the xenophobic rhetoric promoted by the containment units, which reject the immigrants to the opposite side without any hesitation, leaving them helpless and without support. Julia joins the subversive groups and makes her psychological skills available to assist the unfortunate poor with food and medical care. The documentary-style visual setting, in addition to the choice of black and white, project the weight of the events onto the viewer in all its shocking gravity.

The observation of the facts is carried out beyond the parties, in a raw and unsweetened formula that describes a reality - as usual - well beyond imagination. A title of pressing necessity capable of analyzing our time without dry formalities or misleading preconceptions, and which from its scrupulous investigation leads to an artistic composition of rare splendor.

Giovanni Scanu

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