Synopsis
Silence of the Tides is a cinematic portrait of the largest tidal wetlands in the world: the Wadden Sea. The film plays witness to the rough, yet fragile relationship between man and nature as it pulsates with the inhaling and exhaling of the tides. It’s a hypnotizing large screen look into the cycles and contrasts of the seasons: life and death, storm and silence, the masses and the individual. All set against a larger than life backdrop of sky, water, wind, mist and constantly changing light.
A word from Tënk
Silence of the Tides is not as silent as it claims to be—it rather invites us to be silent and listen. To pay attention to the countless sounds and subtle movements that constantly emanate from the Wadden Sea, the world's largest intertidal zone, stretching 500 kilometers along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. As both the starting point and destination of filmmaker Pieter-Rim de Kroon’s film, the Wadden Sea follows its own rhythm dictated by the tides and seasons. It is a place to fish, to walk, to visit, to study, and to live alongside. In return, it cradles us, welcomes us, provides a bounty of fish, and serves as a point of reference for no less than 10% of the world's migratory population.
Rather than simply filming its beauty, the curious camera finds it everywhere. It elevates the daily activities of those who share their lives with this sea. Using seamless fades, it transforms a tide into a magical trick. This is a lesson in empathy and an invitation to observe—and thus, a grand gesture of cinema.
Paul Landriau
Tënk Subscriber
