Honeyland | 2019 | NR | – 1.4.5

Why is “Honeyland” rated NR? The MPAA has not rated this film. The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes some child nudity, a cow mounting another cow, and references to a woman not having married; a death, a near drowning, several animals are shown dead or dying, and people argue and yell in several scenes; and at least 6 F-words most of which are spoken by a boy while arguing with his father. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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Documentary about a woman (Hatidze Muratova) who lives a solitary, uneventful existence in an abandoned village in Macedonia, sustainably tending to bees and her ailing mother, until a large nomadic family moves to another house and the patriarch (Hussein Sam) decides to also take up beekeeping. His desire for a quick profit overturns the natural order and threatens everybody’s livelihood. Also with Nazife Muratova and Ljutvie Sam. Directed by Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov. In Turkish, Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles. [Running Time: 1:26]

Honeyland SEX/NUDITY 1

 – As cattle are herded through a field, we see one cow mount another cow, briefly straddling its back.
► A woman talks about never having married and asks her mother about a matchmaker and the older woman implies that her husband was against it.
► A toddler without pants walks through a scene and we see his bare buttock and a brief glimpse of genitals. Several shirtless young men covered with oil wrestle at a festival (we see their bare chests, abdomens and backs). Children are shown wearing shorts or underwear while swimming and we see their bare chests, backs and abdomens.

Honeyland VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A woman calls for her elderly mother from outside and we see that the older woman has died; the young woman cries over her and we see her grieving at a marker in the ground later.
► A young girl walks into a pond to swim and slips under the surface, she struggles to get back up and cannot swim; a boy grabs her and helps her and she seems stunned and unable to catch her breath until her mother on the bank holds her upside down by the foot, presumably to get the water out of her lungs.
► A man and his son argue bitterly about working with their bees and the man grabs the boy and shoves him as the boy curses at him, saying, “I’ll cut your head off,” and stomps away. A man and his son argue about taking care of beehives with name-calling and blustering. A man and a woman argue about his honey harvesting methods and that his bees are killing her bees; she then holds a handful of dead bees. Two women argue about harvesting honey. Two men discuss a business deal in a couple of scenes and one man yells at the other man in one of the scenes. A boy yells at his mother and they argue. A man and a woman argue about who was responsible for taking care of their cows after many of them were found dead. A woman says, “May God burn their livers,” about her neighbors. A woman yells at her elderly mother and spills her food on the floor saying she’ll leave it for the cats to eat if she doesn’t want it.
► A man sets a grass and brush fire and we see large flames burning as a woman yells at him for destroying the area and tries to put the flames out with a branch. Two men cut a fallen tree trunk to get to an active beehive with many bees and honey; a woman finds the destruction later and is angry. Two adults and several children drive in a truck towing a camper and walk next to a herd of cattle and drive into an abandoned village where a woman lives with her ailing elderly mother; we see a few cows with ropes wrapped around their heads and pulled by children, a couple of cows are kicked by the children and a cow kicks a boy (he yells but seems OK). A woman with a torch runs around her property when she hears wolves or wild dogs (we don’t see them) howling in the distance.
► Several young men covered with oil wrestle at a festival and people gather around and cheer as they flip each other onto the ground. A boy and a girl wrestle over something that they both want and they fall against a tree stump; the young girl cries and seems to be in a lot of pain as their mother threatens to hit the boy with a stick and the boy says that he knocked a tooth loose. Several boys wrestle and throw each other on the ground (we do not see injuries). Children scream and cry several times after being stung by bees. A man yells and swats at bees as they sting him. A young girl is shown with a swollen eye after having been stung by a bee.
► A woman walks along a very narrow ledge on a steep mountainside, she uncovers an active beehive and pulls out pieces of honeycomb with bees buzzing actively around; she places the comb and the bees in an earthen carrier and covers it with a cloth to carry back to her village. A woman and a boy walk along a narrow ledge on a mountainside to harvest honeycomb and bees. A woman lifts a truck off the ground from the rear bumper and pushes it to get it started.
► A woman cares for her elderly mother and we see her sitting or lying on a bed through the movie; the elderly woman complains of leg pain and we see that she has a swollen, red eye and part of her face seems to be an open lesion; the younger woman puts medicine and a bandage on it (she says that she can only see out of one eye). An elderly woman says, “I don’t intend to die.” A woman talks about a few of her younger siblings having died in childhood (one at 8 years old, one at 9 and one at several months).
► Two calves lie on the ground and seem very sick or dying; a boy carries one calf away and another boy tries to pick another up but is unable; we then see many calves and cows lying dead and one larger cow is shown being dragged behind a tractor. A cow delivers a calf and we see the small animal being pushed out as a boy pulls on the calf’s legs to help it out; a flush of slime falls to the ground along with the calf, the boy shoos the mother away to check the gender of the calf and then the mother cleans the calf from the slime and dirt. People talk about burning dry dung to make smoke while tending bees. A turtle struggles to climb the wall of an empty trough and a woman helps it out. We see a cow skull on the ground.

Honeyland LANGUAGE 5

 – About 6 F-words, 3 anatomical terms, name-calling (filthy dog, devils), exclamations (get lost, shut up, shut your mouth, get out, what are you waiting for, curse the neighbors), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. My God, Oh God, God Bless You, God Forbid, God Will Punish Them, Godspeed, May God Burn Their Livers). | profanity glossary |

Honeyland SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man and a woman drink brandy, and people drink and smoke cigarettes at a festival.

Honeyland DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Traditional village living, beekeeping, nomadic people, family, greed, aging, living off the land, maintaining a balance in nature, sustainability, natural environment.

Honeyland MESSAGE

 – Greed can come between neighbors and can breach environmental sustainability and destroy natural balance.