“The tree tells us that home is not a ‘here’ nor ‘there’. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.” — Herman Hesse
Journalist and filmmaker Nick Werber, whose previous film Reynaldo — Rainforest Hero earned three international awards, including a United Nations film award, has released his newest film, Trees.
As beautiful as it is heartbreaking, this elegiac film glides through majestic stands of trees to the superb words of poet, painter and author Herman Hesse and the accompaniment of music by Keaton Henson.
“A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one’s suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother. … Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”
Werber’s home base is the Peruvian Amazon region and his filmmaking is devoted to raising awareness about rainforest conservation issues. He has set up a YouTube channel where you can view his HD films. Trees is the first film posted to the channel. We look forward to seeing more — and are grateful for the reminder of how much is at stake in the commitment to save the rainforest from deforestation and utter ruin.
K.C. Compton is senior editor at MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine, and formerly was Editor in Chief of our sister publications, The Herb Companion and GRIT. A huge fan of the food chain, from molecules to meals on the table, K.C. is passionate about the idea that most of what we need to be healthy can be found in the garden. Find her on Google+.
