Bal (Honey) (2010)
"Bal" (original title)

The quiet life of a boy and his family is endangered when his father does not return home from his work collecting honey in the forest.

Director:

Semih Kaplanoglu

Writers:

Semih Kaplanoglu, Orçun Köksal

Stars:

Bora Altas, Erdal Besikçioglu, Tülin Özen

8 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bora Altas	...	Yusuf
Erdal Besikçioglu	...	Yakup
Tülin Özen	...	Zehra
Ayse Altay
Özkan Akcay
Alev Uçarer
Selami Gökce

Storyline

The young boy Yusuf's best friend is his father, who supports his family's modest life with the honey he collects from tall trees in the forests of the remote Turkish countryside. Yusuf is a quiet boy, and his mother is concerned for his future. Perhaps he will follow in his father's footsteps, or perhaps school will offer him other opportunities. But the honey crop is failing, and Yusuf has trouble learning how to read. The greatest fear strikes when Yusuf's father doesn't return home from the forest.

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Plot Keywords:

forest | honey | boy | countryside | tree | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Official site [es]

Country:

Turkey Germany France

Language:

Turkish

Release Date:

25 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bal (Honey)

Filming Locations:

Camlihemsin, Turkey

Box Office

Budget:

€1,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kaplan Film Production, Heimatfilm, Eurimages

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poem that a female student reads aloud and which Yusuf listens to is a Turkish translation of Arthur Rimbaud's "Sensation."

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Quotes

Yakup: Dreams are not told aloud.

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Connections

Follows Yumurta (Egg) (2007)

User Reviews

Quiet and thoughtful

Bal is the Turkish word for honey, and that is part of the storyline. Yusuf, a six year old boy, wanders about, searching for both his father and the meaning of life, in no particular order.

His father suffers the trials of Job, his bees have vanished for no apparent reason and he has a family to feed. An accident leads to dads early demise, so most of the film is told from the perspective of Yusuf, who as played by Bora Atlas, is an absolute casting miracle. The kid is tremendous; he owns the screen.

There is very little dialogue, so the actors must use their faces to portray real human emotions. The scenery is beautiful and the sounds of nature fill the air. In the mood for a quiet, thoughtful movie with actual heart and soul, then Bal should be just right.