Why You Should Check Out Oscar-Nominated Documentary 'Honeyland'!

You might be rushing to the closest theater to catch Joker before the Oscars next weekend, but wait! Hold on!

This year’s crop of Best Documentary nominations are fantastic, and one in particular that we want to point out is Honeyland, a film from Macedonia directed byTamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov.

Honeyland centers around Hatidze, a woman who lives in the high mountains of the Republic of North Macedonia and tends to honeybees, whose honey she sells at the market for a profit. She’s excellent at caring for the bees, with a philosophy of “take half, leave half” that keeps the bees alive and healthy.

She also takes care of her blind, elderly mother, Nazife.

Hatidze is one of the only beekeepers for miles, a status she uses to make her honey a very sustainable income. Her and her mother’s life isn’t perfect, but it’s steady -- until a new family moves in next door, with their many children and loud pets.

Hatidze, ever kind and patient, begins to befriend the neighbors and teaches the boys how to take care of the bees. Their father, understanding the profit they can make from the bees, decides to take up beekeeping himself -- but his philosophy is not as kind and gentle as Hatidze’s.

Their venture with beekeeping is relatively unsuccessful, and eventually they move out. Hatidze and her mother are again left alone, high in the mountains, where the film began.

Honeyland was whittled down from over 400 hours of footage filmed over the course of three years, a huge feat for any filmmaker, not to mention getting it done in a harsh climate not accustomed to technology. It plays out more like a narrative film than anything else, filled with beautifully composed shots and moments of intimacy and pain as Hatidze sees her mother near the end of her life. 

There are so many films to watch right now, but Honeyland feels less like watching a movie and more like peeking through a porthole into a life many of us will never live, or may not have even known existed.

To date, the film has received a lot of prestigious accolades, including a Grand Jury Prize at last year's Sundance Film Festival and nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards and Director's Guild Awards. It shares an Oscar nomination with American Factory, The Edge of Democracy, For Sama, and The Cave.

We cannot recommend Honeyland enough, and it is available to stream right now on Hulu and Amazon Prime!

The 92nd Annual Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 9.