Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, Green Border immediately drew controversy from the Polish government for its depiction of the European migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border. Shot in stark black-and-white, this riveting thriller explores the intractable conflict from multiple perspectives: a Syrian family fleeing ISIS caught between cruel border guards in both countries; young guards instructed to brutally reject the migrants; and activists who, at great risk, aid the refugees. Director Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa) brings an unflinching eye and deep compassion to this blistering critique of a humanitarian calamity that continues to unfold.

For more in-depth thoughts on Green Border, please see my colleague Cameron Ritter’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Green Border arrives on Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation in its original 2.00:1 that captures the aesthetic intention admirably. The film is presented with a sumptuously realized black-and-white palette throughout that preserves the pinpoint contrast with ideal control. This artistic choice brings a visceral quality to the narrative that does not seem absentmindedly composed to capitalize on a trend. This is a horrific film with haunting shots filled with an impressive amount of detail. The highlights hold firm without veering towards blooming while the black levels stay strong and avoid any compression artifacts. The transfer does showcase a hint of banding in a handful of shots, but this is not a persistent issue. Kino Lorber has delivered a strong presentation for this film.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original mixture of Polish, Arabic, English, and French. The track is more active than you may expect as you hear the pained howls of the refugees coming in conflict with the guards desperately trying to turn them away. The sound design is evocatively executed with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being lost to the sound effects or the score. The environmental effects create a really unsettling soundscape of nature and human intervention. This is not a particularly kinetic film, but activity in the low end is felt during more thrilling moments. This is a first-rate release that brings the movie to life in a really effective manner. Optional English subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Q&A with Director Agnieszka Holland, DP Tomasz Naumiuk, and stars Behi Djanati Atai & Joely Mbundu: A terrific 30-minute conversation with the cast and creative team conducted with Film At Lincoln Center during NYFF in which they delve into the reasons they wanted to tell this vital story, the controversial journey of getting this story to the screen, the work of the performers, the decision to shoot in black-and-white, the shooting locations, and more.

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Green Border is a devastating but vital look at a modern humanitarian crisis that feels artistically pure rather than a manufactured call to action. This is thanks in large part to the direction of the legendary Agnieszka Holland, who has been around long enough to know the proper narrative balance. The film is sprawling, and a few moments could potentially be excised to tighten this up a bit, but it haunts you in both narrative and larger societal ways after the credits have finished rolling. Kino Lorber has provided a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and a terrific supplemental feature. It is a harrowing viewing experience, but it is one that you would be wise to take. Recommended

Green Border will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital on August 20, 2024.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.