MORE THAN HONEY (2012)

Directed by Markus Imhoof, Narrated by John Hurt. Documentary, 2012, Released on DVD and Blu-ray on 21^st October 2013 by Eureka!

“My grandfather would probably walk from this property disturbed if he saw the way we keep bees today. He’d think: “My God! You’ve lost your soul...”  ~ John Miller (commercial beekeeper)

Picture if you will, a group of bees methodically and carefully tending to a small structure inside a hive with what appears to be gentle precision. They loom large on the screen and we watch and wonder at their activity. There is no narrative at this point to tell me what they are doing, but I’m mesmerised all the same.  The beautiful music score (Peter Scherer) is soothing and reassuring and I feel like I am privy to some sort of momentous bee event. The result is the birth of a new princess – a future Queen bee - the central focus of a healthy bee colony. Thus we are introduced to Markus Imhoof’s documentary MORE THAN HONEY.

Many reports have filtered through the media over the years with news that the bee population across the world is in serious decline. MORE THAN HONEY is the latest documentary to focus on the question of bees, specifically honeybees and the mystery of their disappearance. What is happening to the world’s primary pollinators? Why are bees leaving hives in their millions never to return – a phenomenon known as ‘colony collapse disorder’- and what is the solution? The questions are posed but Imhoof doesn’t bog you down in the science of why; instead he takes you on a journey to the past, looks at how it compares to the present and calmly allows the viewer to decide for themselves what they think the future will be. You are taken across four continents to explore the issue. A Swiss beekeeper living in an idyllic natural environment gives us a glimpse of the old traditions; an American commercial beekeeper explains his role in the multi-million dollar industry that the bees generate - so keeping the capitalist cogs turning; China, where people are employed to hand pollinate fruit trees in the absence of bees. And finally to Australia, where experiments are being conducted to try and diversify the gene-pool.

Meanwhile, the exquisite cinematography and the beauty of the bees as they go about their industry is truly splendid, a visual tapestry that complements the subject matter and doesn’t detract from the seriousness of the bee’s plight. Imhoof delivers a film of visual poetry that reminds me of films like WINGED MIGRATION and MICROCOSMOS. The score is subtle and complementary and John Hurt’s narration (UK version) overall could almost make you forget that the bees are in trouble at all. It may not be a punchy strike in the gut, but there are times when a little less sensationalism encourages a more thought-provoking viewpoint.

Is there a future for the honeybee? Well, we don’t know. MORE THAN HONEY is informative but does not preach, it is not pretentious and it celebrates the bee in ways that bee keepers have always known and we need to remind ourselves that we owe it to these creatures to pay attention if only for the sake of our environment and the future. This ‘lovely little insect’ is inextricably connected to us and hopefully one day we’ll come to appreciate them as they deserve before it’s too late.

**** (out of 5*)

Isabel Hernandez