Loneliness, where the heart is, where the mission is

Jettie 2022-01-20 08:01:12

Watched at the 2019 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, as the opening film, it brought me too much shock and moving. No narration, little music, a typical documentary film, the story is complete and clear, the conflict is strong enough and the theme is clear, the excellent photography and sound collection, and the long-lasting white space are simply unstoppable. Reinforce one point again-wonderful non-fiction images (not just documentaries) are definitely worth watching on the big screen.

There are several themes in the film, briefly summarized:

1. The relationship between man and nature

The beekeeper lives a simple life, relying on honey to support herself and her mother. She is straightforward, kind and content, relying on the original concept of "I half and leave half for the bees" to raise bees and go to Skopje to sell honey in exchange for what she needs. Respect nature and give you gifts from nature. In short, it is "sustainable development".

The opposite is the case of a neighbor’s family, who kept honey for the bees to make more money, and burned trees to grow grass for the cows to eat. Parents blamed each other, and the family was stung to collapse by the bees. In the end, more than 50 cattle died from the disease, and the family was forced to move away. Although I did not explain why I got sick, according to the natural logic of the film, this is the result of disrespect for nature. At the same time, it also responds to the simple notion that "wicked people have their own evil", as the mother beekeeper said when she comforted her daughter, Retributive". Straight line thinking makes the film easier to understand. Of course, karma is not so straightforward to show. The strong contrasts and conflicts may be intentional by the author, especially when the neighbors and buyers are able to steal honey. Let people think about how this is done.

2. The relationship between people

The relationship between the beekeeper and her neighbor's family is the main source of conflicts in the film, and her performance in dealing with conflicts also reveals a valuable nature. In the beginning, the two sides were in harmony and friendship. She and the children listened to the radio, went on swings, and watched wrestling matches. The beekeeper also passed on the skills of beekeeping to her neighbor's father, but the other party was greedy for beekeeping, which resulted in the beekeeper's bee deaths and injuries. After unsuccessful communication with her neighbors, the beekeeper moved her bees to the weeping wood on the distant river after several times of contemplation. This was due to her kindness and tolerance; when the neighbor’s father and the buyer joined forces to cut the weeping wood and steal the honey After the bee colony died, the film gave the beekeeper a few shots: standing silent and sad by the river, sitting in the house wiping tears, crying to the mother on the bed, each of which shows the peasant girl’s forbearance , Let people feel her fragility and strength in the face of misfortune.

The cold winter has come, and she asked her mother: Will spring come again? Mother replied: What is spring? I have experienced too many winters (So many winters have been gone through).

This is a philosophical question and answer that heralds the death of his mother. The beekeeper and her mother depend on each other. The mother once joked that she has many years to live and that her daughter must always take care of her. I never thought that in this winter, my mother might have left because of indirect reasons from my neighbors. When the mother left, the shooting technique was simple and delicate: the beekeeper was looking for a broadcast signal on a vertical pole outside the door, calling her mother for help, and she shouted for a few times and there was no response. , The next shot is a middle shot outside the house, candles are like beans, and everything else, the beekeeper is crying beside her mother's bed, holding her mother's hand, and touching her mother's face. This is a film-style montage technique, which is more tense because of reality.

The relationship between the beekeeper and her mother is also a major focus of the film. She cared for and took good care of her mother. When she went to the market, she always wanted to buy good things for her. On the other hand, she had a grudge against her mother for not marrying herself out, but in her mother's joking answer, she laughed and said, How could I leave with you. After her mother left, there were often tears on her face, and she went frantically to drive away wild dogs, crying in the wind in the middle of the night. This section makes people cry, and the tragic fate imposed is heart-to-heart. The film reaches its climax, and all emotions are released at this moment.

3. The relationship between man and self

The beekeeper loves beauty and will buy expensive hair dye after selling honey. Although she is unmarried, she wears a turban all year round. Her beauty, like her long hair that can only be revealed in the dark, can only be looked at through the candlelight, which is concealed by her rough appearance and huge voice. After watching this film, I believe no one will say that she is not beautiful.

When eating honey for the closest neighbor, the third child, her eyes were filled with love. Behind these eyes are the sorrow of being single and childless, the loneliness of being born, and the longing for continuation of future generations. However, this bit of tenderness also left her, she silently accepted, watching the car go away, falling into loneliness again. And when her mother also left, she completely returned to her solitary body and walked towards the icy wilderness, only the black dog who had been with her followed. The audience guessed, is she leaving? Are you going to the city to find happiness?

The answer is no, and her strong self finally appeared. She climbed up the barren hills that she had climbed on the film first layer. A little golden color appeared in the depression. It was her honey, her hope, and her freedom. After experiencing setbacks and sufferings, she reconciled with herself, nature, and destiny, and smiled again. In the backlit silhouette, she and the dog share honey and taste the complex flavors of life.

This is sublimation, where people come and go, the eternal philosophical proposition, and the eternally shocking image theme.

The power of a documentary comes from reality. It is its mission to respond to the concerns of the times, to show the power of humanity, and to respond to social issues, and it is also the responsibility of the documentary. As people pay more and more attention to themselves and their hearts, the value of documentaries will certainly receive more attention.

I hope to see more such good documentaries on the big screen in the future.

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Extended Reading
  • Camryn 2022-03-28 09:01:11

    The filming is solid and patient, and the content is presented very calmly. It captures the spirit of the characters and the dilemma of life, but does not sell bitterness. The audience's empathy comes from emotional immersion, but it is still slightly short and thin. There should be a lot of filming for a few years. material available. Many distant scenes are too beautiful, and the characters sometimes look like oil paintings. It is not ruled out that there is some suspicion of staged shooting. The lens design, indoor lighting, sound editing, post-production color correction, and even music are all perfect. Such a documentary with an industrial standard cannot be learned by ordinary people. It is not something that one or two people can accomplish in a day or two.

  • Frieda 2022-03-14 14:12:27

    The director said that he found the female beekeeper to make a documentary. The original plan was three months, but it was extended to six months. Then the herdsman broke into her life. In the end, the film was shot for three years. The continuity and drama of the story is not like a documentary. Wanton plunder and endless greed will eventually reflect on human beings. Only by knowing how to respect nature can they coexist. Winter will always pass and spring will come. In the vast land under the bright sun, I hope this female beekeeper can continue to live strong and gentle.

Honeyland quotes

  • Hatidze Muratova: Take half, leave half.