Hi everyone!
We’re continuing our Oscar cleanup week with a review from Keith Lyons, aka Philly Film Fan, covering HONEYLAND, a nominee for Best Documentary Feature, all the way from Macedonia. He’ll be up in a minute with his thoughts, but don’t miss his recent reviews for LES MISERABLES (Episode #680), ATLANTICS (Episode #669), and I LOST MY BODY (Episode #646). I should probably get him an English-language film to watch here at some point.
Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Top 5 from Fighting podcast. Every episode, Greg and Mike discuss a wide range of topics, and when they disagree, you know they’re gonna fight about it! Always fun, but always contentious, you don’t want to miss a single episode. You can find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @Top5forFighting. They have been some of our biggest supporters from last year. Shout out to their Marketing Angel. You know who you are!
Oh yeah, speaking of that Marketing Angel, One Movie Spouse and I will be guesting on the Honey, You Should Watch This podcast. We’re recording this weekend, covering easily the best new to me film I saw last year, and made my family sit through twice afterwards. More on that via social media as details emerge.
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Here we go!
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Hi, Philly Film Fan here with another review for One Movie Punch. You can follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan.
Today’s movie is HONEYLAND(2019), the film directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. It is an extraordinary film that has already made history by becoming the first film nominated for both Best Documentary and Best International feature at the Oscars. These are also the first two Oscar nominations ever to go to a Macedonian film.
Mild spoilers ahead but this isn’t the kind of film you can ruin with spoilers.
HONEYLAND introduces us to Hatidze Muratova, a woman who seems to be displaced in time. She lives less than 35 miles from the capital of Macedonia but she may as well be living in another century. She shares a small hovel with her elderly mother, Nazife, who is nearly blind. They have no electricity or running water and providing basic amenities, such as light and heat, seems like a monumental task for Hatidze. Her only source of income is the sale of wild honey, which requires her to make an arduous journey to her customers in the capital. All of this is captured by the filmmakers in beautiful shots, unencumbered by narration, which gives us the illusion that we are right there with them.
Clumsy documentaries often feel like propaganda. They use narration or talking heads to make an explicit argument that the filmmaker wants to convey. But the best documentaries feel like they’re showing you the truth without trying to convince you of anything. Of course, every film has a point of view, but the great ones allow you the space to come to your own conclusions. HONEYLAND doesn’t need to make any bold statements about how short-sighted industrialization is depleting our planet of limited resources and poisoning the land to make those resources even more rare. It only needs to show us an old woman scaling a treacherous cliff to access a wild beehive and, once there, proclaiming her philosophy of “Take half, leave half.” This is how she has always survived, taking only what she needs while leaving enough for the bees to survive the winter and produce a new batch next year.
Unfortunately, Hatidze’s message of sustainability is completely lost on her new neighbor. Hussein is a father of seven and clearly struggling to provide for his family. He needs money now and sees an opportunity in honey. Hatidze warns him to only take half of the hive’s honey, leaving the other half for the bees to feed on. But Hussein is a stubborn chauvinist and he ignores the advice of a woman. His actions will end up threatening both of their livelihoods, as well as the survival of the bees.
If this was a fictional film, I’d probably complain that this conflict was a too “on the nose” metaphor for industrialization and climate change. But this is just a documentary capturing a small-scale example of a much larger trend. The whole situation would feel hopeless if it wasn’t for Muzafer, Hussein’s sensitive son. He is fond of helping Hatidze and listens reverently as she imparts her wisdom. Watching his face, you can tell that he will be a different man than his father. And that is reason enough to be optimistic.
HONEYLAND is a beautifully photographed documentary that tells one story about little people, but its narrative deals with universal themes. It’s a quiet film that not everyone will have the patience for, but if you’re able to sink into its rhythms, you’re in for a transcendent experience.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% (CERTIFIED FRESH)
Metacritic: 86 (MUST SEE)
One Movie Punch: 9.0/10
HONEYLAND (2019) is unrated and currently streaming on Hulu.
This jawn was brought to you by Philly Film Fan. For more movie reviews, follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan where I’m participating in the #366Movies challenge. That’s P-H-I-L-L-Y-F-I-L-M-F-A-N.
Thanks for listening!
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