The Hidden Life of Trees – Das secret Leben der Bäume (2020)

Directed by: Jörg Adolph, Jan Haft | 97 minutes | documentary

Trees are silent witnesses to the natural history of our planet and the many dynamic processes that take place in nature every day. Moreover, they have an ambiguous status in nature-loving circles. On the one hand, even non-biologists can often enjoy ancient forest giants in the forest or a monumental row of trees in the city. On the other hand, trees are also often seen as largely lifeless wood suppliers or troublemakers (leaves or needles on your tightly mowed lawn).

People who have ever carefully read the popular book ‘Das secret Leben der Bäume’ by Peter Wohlleben will have a more versatile view of trees. The German knows how to make it clear in an inspiring and understandable way that trees are much more complex creatures than they appear at first glance. That is also the main message of this documentary, which relies heavily on the substantive insights from Wohlleben’s book of the same name. In this way we learn that trees are social and ‘family’ creatures that provide neighboring species with nutritious sugars via their root systems. Even apparently death row trees sometimes receive emergency support from their healthier neighbors in the form of essential nutrients.

In addition, trees associated with mushrooms close. The fungi’s extensive underground mycelia not only exchange food with trees, but also share information about threats such as insect pests and drought. This unique collaboration is sometimes described as the ‘wood wide web’. There are even serious scientific findings that indicate that trees can also feel some form of pain. In addition, trees have a memory and the plants can pass on information to members of their kind and subsequent generations.

All these insights are supported in ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ by beautiful visual material that shows (often with the help of timelapse) how the natural growth processes of trees take place and what the cooperation between trees and mushrooms looks like. The film does not bring much new under the sun for people who have already read the book. We also follow Peter Wohlleben on his explorations through the forest and see how he, as a storyteller, author and excursion leader, shares his knowledge and enthusiasm with interested audiences both in and outside Germany.

We also find out that he was originally a forester, but that this profession soon became against him due to the ruthless felling rage that most commercial timber companies and nature management organizations display. According to the German, this goes directly against the natural growth cycle of trees. Trees naturally grow slowly. A steadily growing tree is a healthy tree that lives a long time. The ultimate proof of this is a very old example shown in the film that is almost ten thousand years old. The tree stands alone in an otherwise almost bare rocky landscape. “This is an organism that has survived all possible weather extremes and climate change. Trees are such robust creatures. They just have no defense against a saw,” says Wohlleben.

According to him, a forest is much more than a collection of trees and shrubs. A healthy forest is a superorganism that can survive without human intervention. Such views have ensured that the outspoken Wohlleben is now mainly a problem for a large part of the traditionalist forestry sector. We also get a brief glimpse into the activist Wohlleben, for example when he speaks during a large-scale protest against the felling of trees in the Hambacher Wald, initiated by energy giant RWE.

Wohlleben is also regularly criticized, mainly because he is said to humanize trees too much. Trees that ‘cry for help’ (by giving off fragrances), have ‘character’ or are ‘brave and sensible’: these are terms that, according to strict scientific biologists, you should not use when you talk about plants (and most non- human animals) talks. Wohlleben disagrees. According to him, the dividing line between animals and plants is thinner than many people think. Moreover, according to Wohlleben, talking about trees in anthropomorphic terms is a good way to make his story and the latest scientific insights understandable for laymen without specialist biological knowledge.

Precisely because Wohlleben is a skilled storyteller and a personality that is as amiable as it is modest (despite the fact that he has already published sixteen books and has a bestseller to his name, he does not consider himself a ‘real’ writer, for example), ‘The Hidden Life of Trees ‘ interesting from start to finish. The beautiful nature images certainly contribute to this. A documentary that goes completely against the dominant zeitgeist of the twenty-first century due to its thoughtfulness, calm narrative pace and emphasis on factuality. But perhaps that is precisely why this film is such a relief.