117. Hive; movie review

 

HIVE 

Cert 15

84 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent sexual threat

"Men throw stones at women simply because they are driving cars?"

Mrs W posed the question out loud as the old men of Kosovo hurled abuse as well as bricks at Fahrije (Yllka Gashi) simply because she was doing what they perceived as men's work.

Her problem, in common with many women, is that her husband is missing, feared dead, after the bloody battles for their country's independence.

Thus, she is left looking after her disabled father-in-law (Çun Lajçi) and her two children with very little money.

Blerta Basholli's film is adapted from a true story and Gashi excels as the woman who has lost hope of finding her husband alive but has to fight against the ignorance of those who should offer her sympathy and empathy.

She simply doesn't have time for emotion, so alights upon the idea of pulling together widows in her community to launch a business selling jars of locally made relish.

They have already lost so much and yet these women, desperate for solace and healing, have to confront bewildering misogyny.

Indeed, the naked hostility threatens the business before it has even begun.

However, Fahrije is made of very stern stuff and nothing that the men literally throw at her is going to stop her.

I can't recall seeing a Kosovan movie previously and Basholli's movie is a real eye-opener.

It shows that the fall-out of war remains intense with bodies still being found of those who have been declared missing.

The lost generation of men has left a yawning chasm and is the basis for a story which is told sensitively and powerfully.

Reasons to watch: Powerful true story

Reasons to avoid: Background information required

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo between February 28, 1998 until June 11, 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army. It ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing.

The final word. Blerta Basholli: "Besides being a woman and a mother myself, I was intrigued by Fahrije's will and power to not only survive, but to achieve something great and never look back. Her positivity and energy are fascinating."

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