by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Yllka Gashi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije HoxhaAdriana Matishi, Cun Lajci
Intro:
… a beautiful film …
On March 25th, 1999, the day after a NATO aerial bombing campaign spelled the beginning of the end for the war between Serbia and Kosovo, two massacres took place in the village of Krusha e Madhe. Around 100 lives were lost, the bodies still missing two decades later. It is in the aftermath of this, in that same village, that this based-on-actual-events drama takes place, following farmer Fahrije (Yllka Gashi) and her struggle to survive and thrive in the absence of her husband.
The price of independence rings through the narrative on two separate fronts. The first is in the historical context, depicting a village and its attempts to carry on while so many of its citizens are dead or presumed so; a price that they are still paying years after the fact. The second is on a more personal level, with Fahrije fighting to keep her family fed and warm while encountering constant resistance from a community that sees any attempt to carry on as an affront to her husband’s memory on the chance that he’s still alive. Much like the beekeeping that gives the film its name and thematic mile markers, her day-by-day involves dealing with a lot of little pricks buzzing around her.
Simply attributing these actions to the lingering presence of Serbian oppression (who still lay claim to Kosovo, ignoring their 2008 declaration of independence) or the country’s dominant Islamic culture might have explained all for some, however, debut writer/director Blerta Basholli doesn’t allow for anything nearly that oversimplistic. The production values are rustic and add immensely to the appeals to realism throughout, and the tone follows the larger narrative – it’s all about people reacting to their circumstances.
In Fahrije, the audience is given a look at a society that doesn’t get a lot of screen time on the international stage (given the relative youth of Kosovo both as a nation and as a hub of film culture). Braving every sting in her path but still wincing with each impact, she is the embodiment of the feminine side of post-war reconstruction. With a jar of minced capsicums in one hand and a pitcher of smoke in the other, it is her resilience that makes the film engrossing throughout.
Hive shows enough heart and exceptional film craft to (one would hope) irrevocably stamp Kosovo on the cinematic map. It follows quite a few recent Western films like Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Nomadland in using a seemingly-small story to say a hell of a lot about the world it takes place in. It’s a beautiful film that does justice to the life and ultimate triumph of Fahrije Hoti. Të lumtë!
