Honeyland

A documentary about a Macedonian beekeeper doesn’t sound like one of the best films of the year, does it? But few movies capture the great wheel of nature turning with as much beauty and empathy as Honeyland, and fewer still show how easily the wheel can slip its track and come crashing to pieces.

There is an unassuming languidness to Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s anthropologic documentary about a rural Macedonian beekeeper, “Honeyland.” It’s a quiet and passive film that’s content to luxuriate in place and revel in solitude, which, in turn, both drags the narrative’s loose pacing and instills a certain natural structure that, once embraced, becomes almost mesmerizing.

Like many a good documentary, Honeyland takes us to a faraway land and culture in a way that reveals what is distinctive and what is universal about people.

This bitter and beautiful Sundance-winning doc focuses on a single beekeeper as though our collective future hinges on her hives.

Poetic is a word that goes thrown around easily and abundantly, especially when it comes to documentaries that forego any sort of standard interview-clip-context-rinse-repeat format. But it’s hard to think of a better adjective to describe the early sequences of Honeyland.

The film by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov is a strange and curious thing: part fly-on-the-wall anthropology, part ecological fable.

The result is a careful chronicle that, while staying true to its observational ethos, nonetheless, leaves plenty of questions – and, occasionally, its audience – behind.

Must see. Beautiful movie with a great message. Makes you think about life and be humble.

"HONEYLAND" AND GRETA THURNBERG - THE NEW HEROES OF OUR TIME The two phenomenon have been a subject to a similar bipolar division of reactions in the public where some glorified them, and others criticized them up to a point of hatred. This fact alone, proves that they have already accomplished their goal, they have had an impact on the world regarding subjects which societies, leaders, and people in general tend to persistently ignore. I hope that we are entering a new era, where we leave behind the glorification of petty subject for plain fun and diminishing current events. Our societies by now have placed the highest values on athletes, famous actors, modern aristocracy... I hope the time has come for ordinary people, "anonymous" like Greta Thunberg and "Honeyland" with the authors and the main protagonist - Hatidze will be the new driving force in societies where with their influence they will cause radical societal changes and become the new heroes of a new era. Hatizde, the last beekeeper of wild bees in Europe, admires everyone with universal values which we recognize in every culture, religion, philosophical and spiritual doctrine in the world, that most likely have been passed down and perfected from one generation to another. Respect for nature, humility, moderation, and compassion are silently reflected in the background through the entire course of the movie. Hatidze enjoys the companion of the bees, simply loving them, selflessly sharing the honey with them, half for people, half for them, - an extraordinary example of sustainability. The fact that for the first time in the history of the Oscars a documentary is entering the competition in the category of best international movie, where all of the other nominees are based on fiction, is not surprising. Thanks to the authors for the mastery of making a documentary into art, that you literary take in as a feature film. It's also interesting to notice that an unusual moment in the movie is experienced diametrically opposite. Hatidze's call for the bees, Maat, mat, mat, mat which some viewers interpreted as quote: "When I heard her mumbling something, I turned it off..." While others like the Dutch movie critic Belinda van de Graf experienced that moment as, quote "Hatidze is singing to the bees..." I personally experienced that moment as utterly poetic, a feeling I would like to explain further. The very call from Hatidze to the bees Maaaat, mat, mat, mat has its roots in the word matica - queen bee (lat. mater, matrix). It's particularly interesting that Hatidze is usually speaking ottoman Turkish language, but the word matica is also a Macedonian term, indicating an archaic word that surpasses today's languages. It's inevitable to ask a simple question. What magic is engaged in the queen, a simple insect, recognizing those words as a friendly call from a human, where according to Darwin's Theory of evolution these two species are so profoundly different? Namely, when I first saw the trailer with awe last spring, the moment when Hatidze called the bees with the call Maaaat, mat, mat, mat is a moment that became so familiar and close to me. I suddenly remembered my childhood where in a mountain village in eastern Macedonia, a grandmother explained how they used to keep bees in woven baskets, identical like the ones Hatidze uses. In short, among other things was the recognition of the call to the queen Maaaat, mat, mat, mat quietly gathering the bees around and communicating with them. In that moment the pieces of the puzzle came together and I realized that when Hatidze is singing the "mantra", she is identifying herself with the queen bee, taking on her role, calling, gathering, communicating just like the queen would, Hatidze becomes the queen bee. An incredible symbiosis between human and nature. With this story I want to express my admiration of the movie, to the authors as well as to the audience. They have acknowledged the fact that there is no successful or unsuccessful life, no important or unimportant human, no significant or insignificant story, all lives are successful, unrepeatable experiences. This movie casted a light on a seemingly simple life, and uplifted and glorified a supposedly ordinary human, which turned out to be deeply ethical, pure, loving, towards people and nature alike, and simply beautiful, just like the movie itself.

Beautiful story for the beautiful human being! This movie is the best movie for 2019.

I think it extremly impresive move. Very emotional and to think that its not just a true story but a real life without a script. Just chosen moments from a long time of filming. Great Job.

It is a story about nature vs human but also a story about human vs human. It stands a chance to transform the way of thinking and social values. Exceptional story!