Agnieszka Holland, the celebrated director from Poland, returns with a powerful and pressing film. Holland is a leading figure in sober filmmaking, with stories that are inspired by socio-political oppression and are alarmingly real. In this film, she assesses the present history and provides a pivotal testimony of opaque strategies and their affiliations with the demonization of the stranger.
‘Green Border’ tackles the heart conflicts of Europe’s migrant crisis. You think you’ve seen enough on this matter; social media has fed you with enough images and opinions. You read titles and numbers of casualties, and all play back in your head, in concern or disinterest. You are repelled or obsessed. You think you’ve seen it all. But since there are two of us here, let’s admit it, enough is not enough; 9 years now and we count (at least) two more warfares, hundreds of millions of people who have been forcibly displaced, the majority of which live for an undefined amount of time in temporary accommodations of unmanageable conditions, some dozen thousands of them are asylum seekers, and some thousands have died while doing so. Holland unpacks this load, relocates and redeems its urgency, without any (as per usual) exaggerated emotionalism or forced moral pins. A difficult endeavour, ought to be acknowledged and preserved in the course of cinema making.
‘Green Border’ stands over the migration tides and the pertinent contaminating politics. Divided into four chapters, the story takes place around the swampy zone (exclusion zone) of the borders of Belarus and Poland, which signifies access to the EU. The concept draws upon the disastrous involvement of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the crisis back in 2021, following his sarcastic and deceiving encouragement towards migrants from the Middle East and Africa to reach Belarus. Agnieszka Holland paints the picture lucidly and in all its human essence. 
Each chapter is dedicated to the perspective of various parties; a Syrian family following the promise of a safe new home in Sweden; a border guard intoxicated by aggressive morals of intolerance and the expectation of his first child; a group of activists primed with a sense of injustice and a punk dose; an unwary civilian who founds herself right next to the unhuman hostility of the situation. They are connected by the concealed perplexity of the events and by basic fear. Everyone has shielded themselves with whatever seems to be the asset of their position and viewpoint. Whether it is mercy asking, weaponized muscles, or anger. The four parties start meeting at points, until eventually, all their differences collide together when time moves forward to the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The story is perhaps dramatized to a post-apocalyptic point, but it is not fictional at all. The border does exist, and so do the geopolitical crimes taking place in its territory. The scheme is very clean, and it isn’t necessarily politically tied to a war crisis. The migrant characters come from West Asia and Africa, and besides the specificity of the true events the story is inspired from, this aspect raises the possibility of resonance. As you can imagine, the film is emotionally loaded and difficult (even painful) to watch. It has you seated, facing directly the escalation of xenophobia and its implications on the individual’s level. The monochrome image of the film is an earnest guide, helping us out from diversion and distraction. As tiring as one could imagine a grey scaled image can get when running for nearly 150’, as enriching and rewarding this choice proves to be, for it allows a fair amount of nuanced processing. Instances of laughter and joy are not absent and jump in the most rigid and tormenting moments of this overall distressing story. I want to stand by the accessibility of this film, due to the effective narrative and the sense of urgency it gives back, but it is utterly heart-wrenching. I guess that’s part of the equation, that ought to be mentioned.
Note that this film is most likely to be subjected to conservative politics, especially within Europe and the exponential rise of the right wing. For what it is worth, the film won the Audience Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2024, following the special jury prize at Venice Film Festival 2023, among others.
‘Green Border,’ directed by Agnieszka Holland, was screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam at the Limelight section, where it won the Audience Award. It was produced by Metro Films in association with Astute Films and in co-production with Blick Prod., Marlene Film Prod., Beluga Tree, Canal+ Poland, dFlights, Czech Television and Mazovia Warsaw Film Fund. Holland produced the film with Marcin Wierzchosłąwski and Fred Bernstein.
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