I'm imagining spring

Alexis 2022-03-23 09:03:08

: Can you imagine spring coming

: Is there spring?

: Of course there is

: Too many winters have passed

Hatidze's mother doesn't seem to have much memory of the spring, perhaps she already predicted her own death.

The documentary comes to an end from here. The departure of her mother is the beginning of another stage of life for Hatidza, and the end of the two opposite directions is loneliness.

Hatidze and his mother live in a small village of 10 people, living in poor conditions and without electricity and water. As the last female beekeeper on this land, Hatidza has always adhered to the agreement with the land and the environment: "I take half and leave you half". I boil it down to this: If you want to be restrained, happiness will last long.

Honey is all Hatidze's source of income. After the hive produces enough honey, she will regularly drive to a town 20 kilometers away to sell her own honey and buy some daily necessities for herself. And buy the favorite banana for the mother who is sick in bed.

Such days, repeated every year, are busy and lonely.

This year, the arrival of a nomadic family has shattered the village, or Hatidze's mother's life. Roaring machine trailers, herds of untamed cattle and sheep, seven children with a small age gap... They may or may not be Turks, Hatidze can't be sure. This family of strangers settled here.

At first, they lived separate lives, and Hatidze cared more about the beehive next to his home than he was curious about his visitors. And nomadic families are very busy in the cowshed and sheep pen every day.

Living on the same land, life inevitably intersects. The first group of children entered Hatidze's "territory". We fetch water, feed the calves, and the kids visit Hatidze's house to see the kittens. Gradually, the two families became their only "neighbors". Perhaps seeing the neighbor's good income from beekeeping, the nomadic parents also came up with the idea of ​​making money from honey. There are too many children in their family, and it is not easy to feed so many mouths. Perhaps nomadic parents think this way: while raising cattle and sheep, they can do seasonal work that is suitable for this environment, such as beekeeping.

Before long, nomadic families brought in beehives and jets. The whole family panicked in the face of the bees, and no one took the initiative to approach the beehive. They were all forced to help out under the scolding of their father. Hatidze told nomadic families that they must follow the "half and keep half" method when collecting honey. If all the honey in the hive is taken away, the bees that lose honey will definitely attack the Hatidze's hive.

"They (bees) and you must have enough honey, and everyone has enough honey," Hatidze shared her beekeeping experience and skills in selling honey with her neighbors. At this moment, Hatidze, who has been lonely for a long time, has friends. They talk under the bonfire at night and share the past while drinking brandy... Even at night, even if there is no electric light, it seems that the happy smiling faces can be clearly seen.

Conflict still occurred. The honey buyer asked the nomadic parents to produce 100 kilograms of honey. Under great pressure, the nomadic families broke the rule of "picking half and keeping half" in pursuit of short-term benefits. Soon, the bees without honey attacked the Hatidze's hive, and the Hatidza's bees died in large numbers, and only five survived. The nomadic parents refuse to admit that it is their own problem.

Helpless, here, each has lived his own life again. Hatidze once again travels to hunt for honey, as in the opening sequence. It seems that she is alone again, and a family seems to have never appeared in her life.

: Hatidze why don't you get out of here

: If I had a son like you, things might be different, but I don't

Hatidze took the son of a nomadic family to wade across rivers, climb mountains and visit beehives on cliffs. This is her secret place, and this moment is his too. As if they were mother and son.

The half-blind, bedridden mother couldn't tell the difference between day and night, and Hatidze always reminded her. This is why Hatidze has never left here.

Winter is here, and in the roaring machine trailer, in the sound of untamed cattle and sheep, in the cries of children, nomadic families leave. Just like when it came, the momentum was very big, disturbing this land with only two people.

However, Hatidze has a tough winter ahead, and she's starting to get ready.

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Extended Reading
  • Corene 2022-03-26 09:01:12

    Photography is great. Personally, I like the big long-range shots in the film, and I directly feel the impact of barrenness and desolation and the hardship and tenacity of people living in it. There are also several night scenes - indoor candlelight conversations, holding torches to drive away demons, and burning juniper trees, which are also very moving. 3.5

  • Alexis 2022-03-19 09:01:08

    The director must have a huge amount of material, and he can cut the documentary material to be as exciting as a feature film, and the material is enough to sustain the delicate narrative rhythm. This woman is too real in front of the camera and has a very beautiful personality, which makes people unconsciously worry about her and feel sorry for her.

Honeyland quotes

  • Hatidze Muratova: Take half, leave half.