I Hear the Trees Whispering
| I Hear the Trees Whispering | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | József Gallai |
| Written by | József Gallai |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by | Gergő Elekes[1] |
| Music by | Gergő Elekes[1] |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | BayView Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes[2][3] |
| Countries |
|
| Language | English |
I Hear the Trees Whispering is a 2022 mystery thriller film written and directed by József Gallai. Shot almost entirely from the point of view of its protagonist, it stars Gábor Varga as a man who takes a job as the sole caretaker of a remote stretch of forest, with Larry Hankin and Bill Oberst Jr. in supporting roles.[4][3] A Hungarian-American-British-Norwegian co-production filmed in Hungary, it was released by BayView Entertainment.[4][2]
Plot
Will takes a job as caretaker of part of a sprawling forested area known as Lily of the Valley, a post that has sat unfilled for a year and a half. The nearest person to him is his employer, June, fifteen miles away, and supplies are delivered by truck once a week. Exploring the area, he hears a chainsaw but finds only the abandoned saw, and later a bag containing a human finger. His dreams are haunted by memories of his wife, Sara, and his daughter, Lily; he tells June that Sara died in a car accident for which he blames himself. Dale, Lily's grandfather, appears in a video message, and Chuck, the last person to hold the caretaker's job, is heard only as a voice. As small and seemingly insignificant incidents accumulate, events grow stranger rather than clearer. An epilogue introduces two new characters.[3][2]
Cast
- Gábor Varga as Will (voice)
- Laura Saxon as June (voice)
- Larry Hankin as Dale
- Bill Oberst Jr. as Chuck (voice)
- Anita Tóth as Lily
- Jon Vangdal Aamaas as CEO
- Nyell as Peter
- Beáta Boldog as Sara
- Zsófia Gallai as Young Lily
- Laura Ellen Wilson as Radio announcer #1 (voice)
- Pete Baez as Radio announcer #2 (voice)
- Joseph Richmond as Radio announcer #3 (voice)
- Anais Jessica Berinde as Radio announcer #4 (voice)
- Mindy Dougherty as Radio announcer #5 (voice)
- Shawn Michael Clankie as Radio announcer #6 (voice)
Production
The film was written and directed by József Gallai, whose earlier work includes Spirits in the Dark, Moth and The Poltergeist Diaries.[4] Gallai said it was his first feature since 2013 that was not a horror film, and that he set out to combine adventure, thriller, science fiction and drama.[5] It was made as a Hungarian-American-British-Norwegian co-production, released in Hungary as Rejtekhely, and filmed in Isztimér, Veszprém and Magyarpolány, Hungary, at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.[4][5]
Gallai completed the screenplay in the summer of 2020 and revised it during the pandemic lockdown, scouting locations while working on The Poltergeist Diaries. The two lead performances were recorded in the spring of 2021, and principal photography was completed in nine days with a crew of only a few people, with further days shot that summer and in November 2021. A change of cast during production brought Anita Tóth back to the film. Pál Marton worked as still photographer and drone pilot and also appeared on screen.[5]
Gallai shared cinematography with Gergő Elekes, who also composed the score and edited the film.[6][7] Visual effects were by Neil Rowe.[1][8] The soundtrack features three songs by Eric Ziegmont's State of Shock ("Caution to the Wind", "If You Were Love" and "Nobody Rides"), along with "Torment" by Joseph Richmond, "The Paragon" by Dane E. Connor and "We're in This Together" performed by Colton.[1][7] Sound design and mixing were by Joseph Richmond, Logan Compton and Brandon Webster, with Elekes as sound recordist.[1]
Reviewing the film, Jim Morazzini noted that it marked a departure for Gallai, who was known primarily for found footage horror, and compared its first-person camerawork to that of Hardcore Henry while observing that it is not an action film.[3]
Release
The film was screened for critics in January 2022, at which point no release plans had been announced; its soundtrack was made available on streaming services at the end of that month.[3] Shoreline Entertainment handled worldwide sales.[9] BayView Entertainment released the film on 1 July 2022, and it was subsequently made available on streaming platforms including Plex and, free with advertising, Tubi.[2][10]
Reception
Jim Morazzini of Voices from the Balcony wrote that "Gallai tried something different here, and for the most part it works as long as you don't mind the slow burn", praising the sense of isolation created in the film's first half but noting that "not a lot actually happens" and that the epilogue could prove "a bit divisive as it's somewhat out of tone with what has come before".[3]
Lisa Marie Bowman of Through the Shattered Lens called it "an effectively atmospheric thriller, one that will leave you thinking long after the end credits have rolled", describing the point-of-view technique as one "that allows the film to capture the forest in all of its ominous beauty" and highlighting a third-act twist.[11]
Movies & Mania collected the film's reviews in an overview of the production.[4] Writing for MyIndie Productions, JannyC rated the film 7.5 out of 10 and said that "I Hear the Trees Whispering and its simplicity is what makes the film brilliant", calling the cinematography "award-winning".[7] A reviewer for Road Rash Reviews awarded 5 stars out of 5, writing that "József Gallai has come up with a new way to captivate us with this new film" and that "you will not see the twist coming until it hits you right between the eyes".[12]
The film also drew negative notices. Keri O'Shea of Warped Perspective judged that "there are too many issues and basic mistakes for the twist to work; by that point, patience had long been exhausted", adding that "it feels for all the world like someone had a brief window of time to make a film and just decided to go for it, script and plot be damned".[13] Emily Davison of UK Film Review rated the film 1 star out of 5, writing that "the execution fails to deliver on the most basic function of a film" and that "the fundamental basis of an engaging screenplay is missing here".[14]
Accolades
In a July 2022 review, Emily Davison of UK Film Review wrote that the film had by then won 22 awards at independent film festivals, including six jury prizes.[14]
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Film Carnival, Singapore[15] | 2022 | Postmodern Film | Won | |
| Supporting Actor | Larry Hankin | Won | ||
| Trailer/Teaser | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Won | ||
| Director (Outstanding Achievement Award) | József Gallai | Won | ||
| Cinematography (Outstanding Achievement Award) | Gergő Elekes | Won | ||
| Film Score (Outstanding Achievement Award) | Gergő Elekes | Won | ||
| Sound Design (Outstanding Achievement Award) | Gergő Elekes | Won | ||
| Golden Merlion Awards[16] | 2022 | Best Postmodern Film | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Larry Hankin | Nominated | ||
| Best Trailer/Teaser | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Nominated | ||
| Tagore International Film Festival[17] | 2022 | Best Cinematography | Won | |
| Sun of the East Awards[18] | 2022 | Best Cinematography | Nominated | |
| IndieFEST Film Awards[19] | 2022 | Feature Film | József Gallai | Award of Merit |
| Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards[20] | 2022 | Best Feature Film | József Gallai | Finalist |
| Halicarnassus Film Festival[21] | 2022 | Best Poster | Andrei Cosma, Gergő Elekes | Won |
| Casablanca Film Factory Awards[22][23] | 2022 | Best Experimental Feature | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Larry Hankin | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Anita Tóth | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Won | ||
| Best Trailer | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Won | ||
| Best Poster | Andrei Cosma, Gergő Elekes | Won | ||
| Vegas Movie Awards[24] | 2022 | Best Indie Feature (Award of Prestige) | Won | |
| Best Ensemble (Award of Prestige) | Cast | Won | ||
| Best Original Score (Award of Prestige) | Gergő Elekes | Won | ||
| Best Original Story (Award of Prestige) | József Gallai | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography (Award of Merit)[25] | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Won | ||
| Druk International Film Festival[26] | 2022 | Best Director | József Gallai | Won |
| Best International Narrative Feature (Outstanding Achievement Award) | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography (Outstanding Achievement Award) | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Won | ||
| High Tatras Film & Video Festival[27] | 2022 | Best Indie Film | Won | |
| Madras Independent Film Festival[28] | 2022 | Best Director | József Gallai | Won |
| The Monthly Film Festival[29] | 2022 | Trailer of the Month | Gergő Elekes, József Gallai | Nominated |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 József Gallai (director) (2022). I Hear the Trees Whispering (Motion picture). BayView Entertainment. Event occurs at Opening and closing credits.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "I Hear the Trees Whispering (2022)". Plex. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Morazzini, Jim (10 January 2022). "I Hear the Trees Whispering (2022) Review". Voices from the Balcony. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "I Hear the Trees Whispering: Reviews and overview". Movies & Mania. 10 January 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Misztikus film készült az isztiméri erdőben" [A mystical film was made in the Isztimér forest]. FEOL (in Hungarian). 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ Allen, Tracy (20 February 2022). "József Gallai's 'I Hear The Trees Whispering' (2022) Movie Review". PopHorror. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 JannyC (6 June 2022). "I Hear the Trees Whispering (2022)". MyIndie Productions. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ Allen, Tracy (8 June 2022). "József Gallai and Gergö Elekes' 'Project Skyquake' (2022) - Movie Review". PopHorror. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "I Hear the Trees Whispering". Shoreline Entertainment. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "I Hear the Trees Whispering". Tubi. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ Bowman, Lisa Marie (12 January 2022). "Film Review: I Hear the Trees Whispering (dir by József Gallai)". Through the Shattered Lens. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "I Hear the Trees Whispering Review". Road Rash Reviews. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ O'Shea, Keri (11 January 2022). "I Hear the Trees Whispering (2022)". Warped Perspective. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 Davison, Emily (12 July 2022). "I Hear the Trees Whispering (2022) Film Review". UK Film Review. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Monthly Results June 2022". World Film Carnival, Singapore. 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Golden Merlion Awards 2022 Nominees". World Film Carnival, Singapore. 2022. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "February 2022 Results". Tagore International Film Festival. 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Sun of the East Awards 2022". Tagore International Film Festival. 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Award of Merit, May 2022". IndieFEST Film Awards. 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "May 2022 Finalists". Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards. 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Session 23". Halicarnassus Film Festival. 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Casablanca Film Factory Awards: Winners announced". Mathrubhumi. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Casablanca Film Factory Awards: Winners (Season 1)". Casablanca Film Factory. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Winners: Award of Prestige, May 2022 Edition". Vegas Movie Awards. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Winners: Award of Merit, May 2022 Edition". Vegas Movie Awards. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Monthly Results February 2022". Druk International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Winners Season End March 2022". High Tatras Film & Video Festival. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "May – June 2022". Madras Independent Film Festival. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Best of April 2022". The Monthly Film Festival. Retrieved 9 August 2026.