". . . a tragicomedy, the most beautiful and precise film there is about the turning point in East Germany."
—Ralf Schenk, film historian

“Dresen's film Silent Country is remarkable because it brilliantly reenacts the events of 1989 from the point of view of those who were most affected by them: the East Germans. It does so with refreshing modernism—the story structure of the film bears similarities to Fellini's 8 1/2 and to Buñuel's The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeoisie. However, Dresen grounds the aporia of his artist/protagonist in the concrete political and social situation of the GDR. His film—technically sophisticated and graced with excellent acting—conveys a picture of the East with an immediacy that no West German director has achieved.”
— Inez Hedges, Jump Cut