The Guest

Director Statement – Vika Gregory Portnoy & Zuzanna Solakiewicz 

The Guest explores human dignity, resilience, and the struggle against violence and oblivion. What happens on this border could happen anywhere, as more European countries close themselves off, rejecting those seeking refuge. Here, a complex geopolitical reality turns refugees and migrants into pawns in a larger power struggle.

Maciek’s dedication represents a path we should all consider, yet many ignore. His commitment confronts us with our own denial and silent complicity, asking: would we make the same choice in his position?

Like many refugees, Alhyder, the film’s protagonist, is trapped in desperation, struggling to reach Europe but caught between borders. He finds himself in a place that feels like a prison, with death constantly looming. One night, Zuza’s and Zvika’s eight-year-old daughter watched as border guards led an injured man into the darkness. Later, sensing something was wrong, she asked why we were filming. We explained, “People knew something inhuman was happening, and we felt it was our duty to document it.”

We began filming after earning the trust of Medycy na Granicy (EN Medics on the Border – a group of doctors and nurses formed spontaneously on the spot, who raised money, set up shifts, and took turns on duty), where we met Maciek, a local guide familiar with the Polish-Belarusian border’s dense forest. Raised in this borderland, Maciek knew these woods better than anyone. The day we met him, he was helping Medics on the Border evacuate a man suffering from hypothermia while border patrols hunted for “illegal” immigrants to push back.

One winter night, by chance, we were at Maciek’s home when Alhyder, frozen and exhausted from weeks in the forest, knocked on his door seeking refuge. Both men agreed to be filmed, allowing us to capture a powerful bond of solidarity. Their stories frame a broader humanitarian crisis unfolding along the Polish border—a story of resilience in the face of hunger, cold, violence, and injustice, contradicting official narratives.

The crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border exposes a callous disregard from the government and raises troubling questions about the global North’s stance toward the global South. Local residents, forced into moral dilemmas, make choices that weigh heavily on their lives and those they help, feeling abandoned in a conflict far beyond their control.

Frederick Wiseman’s words echoed in our minds throughout this project: “I think I have an obligation, to the people who have consented to be in the film, […] to cut it so that it fairly represents what I felt was going on at the time.” This responsibility shaped our portrayal, ensuring these moments are remembered.

In the end, The Guest reveals the layers and nuances of a humanitarian tragedy, reminding us that documentation is both a duty and a path to ensure history does not repeat.