Friday, November 15, 2024

The Forest (2024) DOC NYC 2024


Asia and Marek and their family who retreated to the Białowieźa Forest on the Eastern border of Poland have had their life turned upside down by the stream of refugees heading into Europe through their “back yard”

Low key observational film is firmly focused on the family and not so much the refugees. They are always there always out of reach as their passage through their land ends  up affecting them in various ways, say showing up on trail cameras. We watch as the influx of the travelers change their lives, as the games played by their children shift focus from fantasy to more representations of real life. The family also take steps to help the passersby.

This is solid filmmaking. It’s a real life version of several recent fiction films that focused on the journey of refugees making the passage to a place they can feel safe. I was moved.

Forgive me for not saying a great deal beyond that. This isn’t the sort of film one can really critique. One can not really critique life as you can most films, and THE FOREST is life.

If you have an interest in the refugee problem or if you just want to see a good documentary THE FOREST is recommended.

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