More Than Honey

Swiss director Markus Imhoof's More Than Honey—centering on the mysterious disappearance of the honeybee worldwide—takes an intimate and artistic approach to the subject, offering close-up views on the world of the hive (the film is Switzerland's official Academy Award submission). Imhoof starts by profiling Fred Jaggi, an alpine man who feels no need for protective gear (“I'm not a sissy”). Although his family's cannery business once revolved around fruits and vegetables, today it's all about bees and honey. As Jaggi notes, “they fed our family,” and beekeeping seems to suit him fine until the queen makes a move that devastates his colonies (fortunately, breeders can create more queens, allowing Jaggi to start all over again). From there, Imhoof turns his attention to a migratory beekeeper who travels through North Carolina, California, and Washington state, helping farmers pollinate fruit and nut crops. And viewers also meet a New Mexico beekeeper who switched to killer bees when he discovered that they are more productive, require fewer resources, and boast hardier immune systems (however, unlike Jaggi, he has to suit up to handle these African-born bees). Imhoof even takes a brief trip to China, where laborers painstakingly pollinate trees by hand, before concluding in Western Australia with his biologist son-in-law, who is raising healthier bees that could be instrumental in stemming the tide of colony collapse disorder, which—to Imhoof—seems to be more of a multi-faceted problem involving a variety of harmful factors. Peter Scherer's string-based score adds to the elegiac tone, while actor John Hurt serves as narrator (the original German version is also included here). Extras include an interview with Imhoof, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. Boasting exquisite macro-cinematography by Jörg Jeshel that takes viewers down to the microscopic level inside the world of bees, this is a gorgeous-looking and thought-provoking documentary—with a cover quote from Albert Einstein that reminds us: “if bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live.” Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)