𝑨 𝑴𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝒉𝑒 𝑹𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 (2020)
“In the silence of the reeds, two souls learn to speak.”
🎬 Rating: ★★★★☆
🎭 Genre: Romance, Drama
⭐ Starring: Hennadiy Lykhoton, Basil Eidenbenz, Nora Liksom
🎥 Directed by: Mikko Mäkelä
Plot Summary:
A Moment in the Reeds (2020) is a quietly beautiful exploration of love, self-identity, and cultural divides. Set in the Finnish countryside, the film follows Leevi (Basil Eidenbenz), a young man who returns to his family’s summer home from Paris after the death of his mother. Struggling with his emotions and the weight of his past, Leevi finds himself at odds with his father, who is too absorbed in the family’s legacy to understand his son’s struggles.
During his time there, Leevi meets Tareq (Hennadiy Lykhoton), a Syrian refugee working to rebuild the house’s dilapidated dock. Despite the language barrier, an unexpected connection forms between them, and the two men, both displaced in different ways, slowly begin to open up to each other. Their bond deepens, evolving into an emotional and romantic connection as they navigate not only the boundaries of culture and identity but also their own personal fears and desires.
Visuals & Direction:
Mikko Mäkelä’s direction in A Moment in the Reeds is tender and intimate, capturing the rawness of the characters’ emotional worlds. The Finnish countryside — vast and serene, yet isolated — serves as the perfect backdrop for this story of two men coming to terms with themselves and each other. The cinematography is lush, often framing the characters amidst the natural beauty of the reeds, lakes, and forests, which echoes the themes of transformation and quiet growth throughout the film.
The film’s pacing is deliberately slow, allowing the audience to savor the moments between Leevi and Tareq — their conversations, silences, and shared experiences. Mäkelä avoids unnecessary melodrama, instead opting for a naturalistic style that enhances the emotional impact of the story. The quiet, almost contemplative tone of the film makes every touch and look between the characters feel profound.
Performances:
Hennadiy Lykhoton’s portrayal of Tareq is heartfelt and nuanced. He plays a man with a painful past, struggling to find belonging in a new country, yet he is full of quiet strength and vulnerability. His performance draws you in as he lets down his guard, allowing a genuine emotional connection to build between his character and Leevi.
Basil Eidenbenz, as Leevi, gives a beautifully layered performance — a young man coming to terms with his own identity, torn between his cultural heritage and his desire for love and acceptance. His subtle performance brings depth to a character who is dealing with loss, longing, and the fear of rejection. Together, Eidenbenz and Lykhoton create an emotionally charged and tender dynamic that anchors the entire film.
Emotional Tone:
The emotional tone of A Moment in the Reeds is quiet, gentle, and filled with longing. It’s a film that speaks not just about love, but about the complicated relationship one has with their own identity and culture. It’s about finding connections in unexpected places and navigating the pain of being in between worlds — not fully belonging anywhere but finding solace in another person. The film touches on themes of alienation, acceptance, and the healing power of love, all while offering a raw look at the barriers we put up to protect ourselves.
The romantic element is not rushed or over-sentimentalized, but rather blooms naturally as both characters discover something in each other that they were missing — not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically. The film’s slow-burning narrative allows this relationship to evolve in a realistic, grounded way that feels earned by the time it reaches its emotional climax.
Final Thoughts:
A Moment in the Reeds (2020) is a quietly transformative film that explores the complexities of love, identity, and displacement. With strong performances from its leads and a deeply humanistic narrative, the film offers a beautiful, thought-provoking look at the ways in which love can heal and define us. It is a film that will stay with you long after it ends, leaving you thinking about the intersections of culture, language, and self-acceptance.
