Venice 2025: ‘The Story of Sylian’ is One of many Greatest Docs of the Yr
by Alex Billington August 29, 2025
That is the story of a person and a chicken. However additionally it is a narrative a few household and their farm; a few city and the individuals who stay there; about storks and people; about nature and males and their synergy; about how the world is altering (for the more severe); about how we should reconnect with nature to heal the planet once more. It’s a movie about how humanity is trashing this planet, ruining the world, and the way we actually want be taught to return and reconnect with the earth and respect all life on this planet once more. The Story of Sylian is the newest documentary creation by the acclaimed North Macedonian filmmaker Tamara Kotevska, following her first function movie Honeyland (which was nominated for 2 Oscars again in 2020). This time her focus is on a humble farmer dwelling in a small village within the south of North Macedonia, a spot which additionally has one of many largest white stork populations in Europe. These big birds have established themselves as residents of this city and the locals stay in concord with them. However additionally it is the inspiring story of a person named Nikola who befriends a stork after his household strikes away in hopes of incomes more cash and discovering a greater life.
Very similar to Honeyland earlier than this, Kotevska’s The Story of Sylian is such a spectacularly cinematic creation it is virtually utterly unbelievable that it is truly a documentary and these are all actual folks and it is a actual story. It is all so completely shot and crafted that it seems like a fictional movie with actors in it giving exact performances. However that is simply not the case! Each single shot on this movie is astonishing. It is thoughts boggling what number of good pictures are in right here. How lengthy it should’ve taken, what number of days they need to’ve waited for that good second, what number of hundreds of hours of footage they needed to comb by way of to seek out that shot for this scene, how a lot work it was to the edit all this collectively into this stunning 80 minute function. Each shot of the storks is, and I actually imply this, good. Whether or not it is a sundown shot of them retreating, or a silhouette of them standing of their nests above the city, or a how-did-they-get-that-zoom-shot peek at them cackling and bickering. These large carnivorous birds use their beaks to clap and create a chattering noise as their method of speaking they usually’ve captured so many humorous and delightful moments of those birds doing this. I stored gasping at each new shot that seems because the story goes on. My goodness it is so exhilarating to observe.
Along with all these good pictures, The Story of Sylian is an particularly shifting story a few love for nature and nature’s love for us. Nikola’s relationship with a stork is not about their friendship, it is about humanity’s relationship with animals, and the way we respect and deal with one another. It is about loving the pure world, and respecting it; and it is about recognizing we will stay in stability with nature. After establishing the characters and the story with the household, I knew one thing dangerous would occur. I knew this movie could be about people trashing earth, and certainly it’s about actually this. Nonetheless, not like so many different movies that present how people are destroying this planet, there’s a hopeful aspect to this. It is a healthful and heartfelt story. It takes the time to really present us that we will return to & respect nature once more. It’s doable. They begin rising once more, they begin attempting once more, and that is extra stunning than merely saying it is all dangerous and we have to do one thing and that is it. Give me an incredible story about animals, and studying to return to concord, and I will probably be shouting about it from the rooftops. That is one movie I will not have the ability to cease raving about. It is a cinematic expertise that may depart anybody who watches it modified for the higher & utterly rejuvenated.
Alex’s Venice 2025 Score: 9.5 out of 10Observe Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing
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