From Macedonia, an Old World tale like an Æsop fable, but real & happening now. Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov, in a first feature-length documentary, went to the mountains to find their subject, a tough, solitary female bee-hunter/honey-gatherer, scratching out a living for herself (and invalid mother) practicing an ancient craft in uncovering golden treasure behind decaying stone walls or inside tree stumps. Singing to the bees, they largely leave her alone while she takes half and leaves half so the hives will continue to thrive. But now she has competition, a neighbor with a large family & many mouths to feed. Why observe nature’s delicate balance, a pact that has worked for centuries, when kilos of honey can be quickly brought to market for a quick payoff? Given without a lot of narrative clues or pointers to clear up relationships, the film trusts the viewer to sort things out between awe-inspiring wilderness, local customs and jolting intrusions from the modern world; smart phones, jeans and polyester abound at a local fair. The film can’t help but side with traditional ways in decline, but the neighbor’s family isn’t turned into an unnatural villain. The eldest son, in particular, a teen in rebellion against his authoritarian dad, is a most sympathetic figure, eager to learn what he can of the old ways, even if doomed to be too little/too late. A fascinating, ultimately heartbreaking, physically stunning, appropriately handcrafted work.
DOUBLE-BILL: Of recent documentaries, this matches nicely to a happier story of another singular woman, the gifted Mongolian teen who competes as THE EAGLE HUNTRESS/’16.
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