Home | Message in the Movies

MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

I know a few amateur beekeepers and I am totally astonished at how much they are able to share about their hives and the activity of the bees. It is one thing to observe bees in action; it is altogether another thing to care for the bees. It’s personal and it matters.

Such is the life of Hatidze Muratova, the beekeeper in Honeyland. She and her ageing mother Nazife are the sole occupants of a small village in Macedonia, deserted following a season of tribal warfare. Their modest home is just a few rooms and Nazife spends most of the time in bed, partially paralyzed with failing eyesight and health. Hatidze travels around the area and takes care of her many beehives. They are hidden in the clefts of cliffs and in other locations throughout the area. Hatidze takes some of the honeycomb but leaves half of the honey for the bees. She travels occasionally by foot and train to the capital city of Skopje twelve miles away. She is a smart businesswoman and finds new buyers for her honey while making some essential purchases, including hair dye.

Honeyland is such a beautiful film about this solitary woman and her simple way of life that I was startled when the movie (like so much of life) went in unexpected directions. One day a nomadic family arrives in the area, including a beat-up trailer (that serves as their house), cattle, chicken, and a bunch of kids. We have no idea where these people came from or how long they plan to stay around, but we do know that the life of simplicity and solitude that Hatidze, Nazife and the bees share is about to change. Alongside the beekeeper’s wisdom of her craft we can observe this family’s seemingly clueless attempts at herding cattle, raising kids, and (eventually) beekeeping. What in the world is going on here?

There is so much genuine human drama in this film that there were times I thought it might be a scripted story using non-actors. But this is a documentary telling a story that took place over three years (and 400 hours of filming) in just 90 minutes.

This is one of the most unique films that I have ever seen and I hope that you will seek it out if it comes to a theater in your area. The film is fairly family-friendly, but there is something about reading occasional F-bombs that can rankle your sensibilities.

Honeyland is a film about contentment, nature, and community that also serves as a beautiful ecological parable. It’s touching, funny and tragic and quite lovely. It’s destined to be considered a landmark documentary. Everyone seems to be buzzing about it, including this reviewer.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Five halos: A beautiful and simple true story that slowly becomes a kind of parable.
Two pitchforks: Occasional swearing; ecological missteps.

Comment:

Do you have comments about this movie or movie review? E-mail your comments. (Your name and UM affiliation must be supplied in order for your comments to be posted.)