Honeyland (2019)

[Lepidopterous]

Wanted to make a thread for this little Macedonian masterpiece that premiered at Sundance this year. It was released theatrically in the US by Neon and in the UK by Dogwoof. Not sure if Neon's involvement means it will be streaming on Hulu, but it is currently available on other streaming services to purchase or rent.

It's currently 99% RT Certified Fresh, 87% Audience Score, 8.3/10 on IMDb, and the #21 highest-rated film of 2019 on Metacritic with 86/100.

Honeyland [Official Trailer] – In Theaters July 26, 2019 - YouTube

[MifuneFan]

I watched this the other day, and I'm sorry to say, I don't get the overwhelming praise it's garnered. It's not a bad documentary, but it's nothing all that special either. It's just an interesting slice of life of a female beekeeper looking after her bedridden mother, and the mild conflicts she encounters as new neighbors come and harp on her "territory". It is nicely shot, especially the nighttime scenes by an open flame. The best part of the doc is the relationship between the beekeeper and her mother, and how much devotion she has to her. Even that can get a little grating at times though as the mother is mostly deaf, so everything has to be yelled and repeated. Still, it's a touching bond that I can easily relate to with my own mother.

The bulk of the doc however is invaded by the neighbor and his annoying ass kids who cry for every damn thing, and they're also shown to be abusive and neglectful to the cows and other animals they raised, which I also found deplorable. I really was expecting something amazing based on words like masterpiece, and exhilarating being thrown about, but I'm just left scratching myself wondering what I may have missed. I feel like it's getting so much praise purely because something like it hasn't been filmed in that part of the world before, but as far as the actual content goes, it's just a woman living her life. There's no broader message, or anything deep about it.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Where's Shia?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

Where's Shia?

Please stop trying to be funny.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Please stop trying to be funny.

My apologies. It's a Friday, I had a few drinks.

[MifuneFan]

What's your excuse for the rest of the week?

[CyberpunkCentral]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

What's your excuse for the rest of the week?

Drink some more, but on beers.

[CelluloidPal]

Looks like someone's getting an early start.

[CyberpunkCentral]

But in all seriousness, this was a pretty tits looking trailer. I'll definitely check it out when I can.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

[Show spoiler]I watched this the other day, and I'm sorry to say, I don't get the overwhelming praise it's garnered. It's not a bad documentary, but it's nothing all that special either. It's just an interesting slice of life of a female beekeeper looking after her bedridden mother, and the mild conflicts she encounters as new neighbors come and harp on her "territory". It is nicely shot, especially the nighttime scenes by an open flame. The best part of the doc is the relationship between the beekeeper and her mother, and how much devotion she has to her. Even that can get a little grating at times though as the mother is mostly deaf, so everything has to be yelled and repeated. Still, it's a touching bond that I can easily relate to with my own mother.

The bulk of the doc however is invaded by the neighbor and his annoying ass kids who cry for every damn thing, and they're also shown to be abusive and neglectful to the cows and other animals they raised, which I also found deplorable. I really was expecting something amazing based on words like masterpiece, and exhilarating being thrown about, but I'm just left scratching myself wondering what I may have missed. I feel like it's getting so much praise purely because something like it hasn't been filmed in that part of the world before, but as far as the actual content goes,

it's just a woman living her life. There's no broader message, or anything deep about it.

I disagree wholeheartedly, but you gave it a shot and are being honest so I can respect your takeaway.

Almost everything depicted in the film is incredibly human in the same way the nuances of a Koreeda or Ozu film can offer a reflection of our cultural values and small moments—only Honeyland is actual footage and not staged. And there are absolutely broader messages in the film-

[Show spoiler]- The humility and environmental message from the opening lines "One for me, one for you"
- The arc of what happens to her in the context of the neighbors over the course of the film.
- The contrast between how sacred and delicate her bees are introduced & cultivated compared to the violent sawing off of the tree trunk containing the tranquil beehive she had found and been nurturing in the midst of the forest
- The clash of her peaceful isolated existence with the stresses and business dealings of the outsiders moving in and the townsfolk she sells her honey to all under her reflections over being single and never marrying
- Her interactions with the children including being favored by the boy, also within the context of her reflections over being single and never marrying
- The nuances of childhood depicted, from the bee sting of a toddler to a boy being back-kicked by a donkey while rounding up the cattle, to the near drowning of a child—which I recalled after seeing this film is actually a quiet ordeal in real life and not the dramatic splashing and flailing as so often is depicted in dramatizations on film and TV
- The organic perspective on life—from the cow giving birth in the middle of a field to her quiet discovery of the passing of her mother, lightyears away from the noise of a city hospital or the commotion and interventions of doctors and staff

I can go on but I feel like I am summarizing the entire film. In addition to these messages, I think the film offers a wealth of information and moments reflecting genuine humanity so rarely portrayed on-screen.

[MifuneFan]

I appreciate your take, I just feel like I've seen quite a lot of that in a number of other documentaries over the years. It just feels like her everyday life is being extrapolated into something grander and more existential. I didn't find anything with the kids to be dramatic at all. I just found them to be annoying, and poorly raised. To be honest, the best parts for me were the beginning and the end as the neighbors were not in the doc at those times I feel like if it was just the female beekeeper (and her mom), my impression of everything would be a lot more positive. Those neighbors just made it progressively irritating to watch. I really wasn't expecting to react that way, as I'm usually pretty in line with critically acclaimed content.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I appreciate your take, I just feel like I've seen quite a lot of that in a number of other documentaries over the years. It just feels like her everyday life is being extrapolated into something grander and more existential. I didn't find anything with the kids to be dramatic at all. I just found them to be annoying, and poorly raised.

I think certainly a lot of people try. But I rarely see the rich little details and moments I described to you in my last post. It is often either staged, contrived, redundant, difficult to connect, or is lost in the artist pushing their vision and themes over the truth and humanity of the characters. The humanity I witnessed in this film stands out in the context of the cinema I’ve personally viewed.

[magnetiques]

brilliantly made, and with such space yet somehow dense with story.

brimming with spirit.

[HorrorBlu]

Figured I should give this a watch ahead of the Oscars.
That was cinema birth control.

Thought provoking documentary, but way too depressing and infuriating for my tastes. I much preferred the hopeful and feel-great Biggest Little Farm.

[AlbertRaf]

Do you know if Honeyland (2019) UK blu-ray has optional or imposed English subtitles?

[Mothravka]

Originally Posted by AlbertRaf

Do you know if Honeyland (2019) UK blu-ray has optional or imposed English subtitles?

They are hardcoded.

[AlbertRaf]

Originally Posted by Mothravka

They are hardcoded.

Thank you