Evenings were spent together—laughing, crying, getting annoyed, and wondering. Leaves sprouted on the branches, presentations were prepared, flashcards were filled out, and exams were taken. All the exams, until the very end. One last time, the graduating students of a religious high school in Brooklyn come together to reflect. They follow a ritual of their faith community—Quakerism. During this ritual, all members of the community sit together in silence. At any moment, anyone present may stand up and share a thought. Afterward, the group returns to silence to reflect on what has been said. The gathering takes an unexpected turn when one student admits that she never truly felt connected to the others.
“Quaker” can be understood as a story about community in religious schools. Director Giovanna Molina draws from her own experiences at a Quaker high school. But to reduce the film to just that would not do it justice.
It reflects the absurdity of a farewell dynamic that most people who look back on their school years will recognize: the unspoken bond with classmates whom you saw every day for six years, yet can count on one hand how many real conversations you had with them. You are close, and yet strangers.
On the carefully crafted stage designed by director Giovanna Molina and director of photography Vittoria Campaner, these unspoken contradictions quite literally find a voice—one last time, before they might never meet again. And while for some, this moment feels like being forced to leave home, for others, it is a liberation from a prison.
“Quaker” is part of Shors Program 2 in the Generation 14plus section at Berlinale 2025.
