Honeyland (2019)

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards:

Best International Feature Film - North Macedonia

Best Documentary Feature

 

As I often say, it’s hard for me to watch Oscar-nominated documentaries, because most of them deal either with war or with sickness, or are just terribly depressing. Honeyland is the first documentary ever to receive nominations for both Documentary and Foreign Film, and the subject seemed less heartbreaking, so I was interested. And it was good, interesting, so much so that at times I questioned how much of it was directed, but I trust it was not or not that much.

As an Eastern European native, most of the interactions in the film and living conditions were not shocking to me, but even I was like WTF at least twice in the film. The fact that they filmed it without any visible intervention, without interviews and voiceovers makes it special and more authentic, and raw. I liked it. Would also make a good film. Amazing how a very simple person, with a very modest life in the middle of nowhere, can be catapulted on international stage like that.

 

I give it: 9/10? (hard to rate documentaries)

IMDB LINK