Honey (2010 film)

In the remote and undeveloped eastern Black Sea region, a six-year-old boy (Yusuf) wanders through the woods searching for his lost father, trying to make sense of his life. His father is a beekeeper whose bees have disappeared unexpectedly, threatening his livelihood. A bizarre accident kills the father.{{citation | url = http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_492950.html | title = Polanski wins best director | date = 21 February 2010 | newspaper = The Straits Times}}. There is little dialogue or music in the film. The three main characters (Yusuf and his parents) are all fairly taciturn, and the soundtrack is filled out with the sounds of the forest and the creatures that live there.{{citation | first = Ray | last = Bennett | title = Honey – Film Review | url = http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/honey-film-review-1004068473.story | newspaper = Hollywood Reporter | date = 17 February 2010}}. The environment is a recurring theme.{{citation | author = Kate Connolly | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/21/roman-polanski-berlin-best-director | title = Roman Polanski wins best director prize in Berlin | date = 21 February 2010 | newspaper = The Guardian}}.

• Erdal Beşikçioğlu as Yakup
• Tülin Özen as Zehra
• Alev Uçarer
• Bora Altaş as Yusuf
• Ayşe Altay

Honey is the last installment of Kaplanoğlu's autobiographical "Yusuf Trilogy", named after the central character, preceded by Egg (Yumurta, 2007) and Milk (Süt, 2008).{{citation | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/turkish-film-polanski-winners-at-berlin-film-fest-1.880431 | title = Turkish film, Polanski winners at Berlin film fest | date = 20 February 2010 | publisher = CBC News}}. Egg was screened at Cannes, Milk at Venice.{{cite news | author=Roderick Conway Morris | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/movies/27fest.html | title = Golden Lion Prepares to Roar as Venice Opens Its Annual Film Festival|date=27 August 2008 | newspaper = The New York Times | access-date = 21 February 2010}} The trilogy runs in reverse chronological order,{{cite web | title = Egg | work = Press Kit | publisher = Kaplan Film Production | date = 7 May 2007 | url = http://www.kaplanfilm.com/press_kit_egg.pdf | access-date = 30 April 2008}} and Honey explores Yusuf's early childhood.

The film was shot in Çamlıhemşin district in Rize Province in northeastern Turkey, and was jointly produced by Turkey's Kaplan Film Production and Germany's Heimatfilm,{{cite news | url = http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5269780,00.html | title = Turkish film 'Bal' wins top honors at Berlinale | date = 20 February 2010 | publisher = Deutsche Welle | access-date = 21 February 2010 | archive-date = 5 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605003657/http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5269780,00.html | url-status = dead }} and shot in the mountains of Turkey. The scriptwriting was supported by a 25,000 Turkish lira grant (approx. €12,000 or $16,500) from Script Development Fund of the Antalya Eurasia Film Festival, while the production was supported by funding from the Council of Europe Eurimages fund, the North Rhine Westphalia Film Foundation and the television stations ZDF and Arte.{{citation | url = http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/lifestyle/11847631.asp?scr=1 | title = Council of Europe to support Turkish film | newspaper = Hürriyet | access-date = 21 February 2010}}.{{citation | last = Uehling | first = Peter | title = Die Seele in der Natur | newspaper = Berliner Zeitung | date = 17 February 2010}}. {{in lang|de}}

The film received positive reviews from critics. Honey has an approval rating of 85% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10. [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/honey_2011/ Honey - Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bal?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c

Katja Nicodemus (Die Zeit) praised the film as an "existential narrative about the world view of a child, about loss and mourning". She picks out the calm rhythm and the landscape photography: "In Bal, you believe you can smell the rain drizzling on the boy on his way to school".{{citation | last = Nicodemus | first = Katja | title = Ein Festival aus Wahn und Schnee | newspaper = Die Zeit | date = 18 February 2010}}. {{in lang|de}} Detlef Kuhlbrodt (Die Tageszeitung) spoke of Kaplanoğlu's "meditative" film,{{citation | first = Detlef | last = Kuhlbrodt | title = Teufel wispern in den Herzen der Menschen | newspaper = Die Tageszeitung | date = 17 February 2010}}. {{in lang|de}} while Christina Tilmann (Tagesspiegel) described it as "one of the most beautiful and most intimate films of this festival", made from unspectacular ingredients "... a film that lets the viewer dream. It feels like wind, like oxygen, air that you want to keep with you for as long as you can. Or like the Sun shining in the forest through marvelously tower-high trees."{{citation | last = Tilmann | first = Christina | title = Das rote Band | newspaper = Der Tagesspiegel | date = 17 February 2010}}. {{in lang|de}}

Honey beat 19 other films from around the world to win the Golden Bear award. Its win was seen as a "surprise" by some.{{cite news|url=http://www.euronews.net/2010/02/21/polanski-wins-berlin-s-best-director-award/|title=Polanski wins Berlin's Best Director award|date=21 February 2010|publisher=euronews|access-date=21 February 2010|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605040822/http://www.euronews.net/2010/02/21/polanski-wins-berlin-s-best-director-award/|url-status=dead}} Kaplanoğlu reacted by recalling an encounter with a bear while filming, "The bear is now back."{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/movies/article110714.ece|title=Turkish film scoops Golden Bear in Berlin|date=21 February 2010|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=21 February 2010}} At a press conference the director said: "In the name of Turkish Films, this is a very meaningful prize. It's a help to making better films".{{cite news|author=Tracey Gudwin|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-02/21/c_13181676.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224085921/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-02/21/c_13181676.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 February 2010|title=Turkish filmmaker top winner at Berlin film fest|date=21 February 2010|publisher=Xinhua News Agency|access-date=21 February 2010}} It was nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Cinematography at the 23rd European Film Awards.{{Cite web|url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2010/11/06/nominations-for-the-23rd-european-film-awards/|title=Nominations for the 23rd European Film Awards|date=6 November 2010|work=europeanfilmacademy.org|publisher=European Film Academy|access-date=7 November 2010|archive-date=9 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109024743/http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2010/11/06/nominations-for-the-23rd-european-film-awards/|url-status=dead}}

• 2010 in film
• Cinema of Turkey
• Turkish films of 2010
• List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Turkish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100123091209/http://www.kaplanfilm.com/en/index.asp Official website] of Kaplan Film
• {{IMDb title|1571724|Honey}}
• {{tcmdb title|787125|Honey}}

{{Semih Kaplanoğlu}}

{{Golden Bear}}

{{GoldenBollAwardBestPicture}}

{{Turkish submissions for the Academy Award}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honey}}

Category:2010 films

Category:2010 drama films

Category:German drama films

Category:2010s Turkish-language films

Category:Turkish drama films

Category:Best Picture Golden Boll Award winners

Category:Films directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu

Category:Films set in Turkey

Category:Golden Bear winners

Category:2010s German films