The Hidden Life of Trees

In his bestselling book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’, German forester Peter Wohlleben put forth a tantalizing thesis: that trees are—like us—social beings who communicate with other, have feelings, care for their young, etc. Director Jörg Adolph and cinematographer Jan Haft have brought to life the thoughts expressed in Wohlleben’s (somewhat controversial) tome, and the effect is one of immense beauty.

‘“The Hidden Life of Trees” uses the sensorial capacities of cinema to thrillingly visualize Wohlleben’s observations. Jan Haft’s camera peers deep into tree bark, and the entire universes of organisms therein; it captures the blooming of plant life in rapturous time-lapse shots; it lovingly traces the outlines of rustling, sun-kissed canopies. All the while, the voice-over reads snippets from Wohlleben’s book, letting us into the secrets of nature that lie beyond human vision and temporality…