Micro-drama pulls you in

THE BEEKEEPER AND HIS SON ★★★1/2 out of 5 Documentary Director: Diedie Weng Duration: 1 h 25 m

Diedie Weng’s parents grew up in rural China, eventually moving to the city Guangdong, in the south of the country, where the filmmaker grew up. She received her MFA in documentary production from the State University of New York at Buffalo, but returned to her homeland in 2009, working in Beijing for more than a year, then taking on a community video project in northern China.

It was there that she met Lao Yu, a septuagenarian beekeeper who lives in the hills with his wife, dogs, pigs, geese and, yes, bees. She began filming his daily routine, which would have made for a fascinating documentary on its own; but the plot thickened when Lao Yu’s 20-year-old son, Maofu, returned from the city, where he had been studying marketing and trying to etch out a new life for himself.

Back in the fold, Maofu is recruited by his father to help with the beekeeping and other tasks. But having experienced life in the big city, it’s not so easy for the boy to embrace such a simple existence.

When he’s not begrudgingly performing his chores, Maofu sits and stares into the distance, singing along to romantic Chinese pop songs on his phone.

Lao Yu is not one to bite his tongue, and he swears a blue streak about their son to his wife, Chang Nuo Niang, while she is more understanding. .

The Beekeeper and His Son is a compelling micro-drama. At first glance, there seems to be little going on, but over the course of the film’s 85 minutes, Diedie Weng pulls you in. She does so by slowing down, taking the time to sit with her subjects, observe and listen.

It is only as the film proceeds, and the viewer’s agitated mind becomes attuned to the details of this rustic reality, that its dishevelled beauty rises to the surface.

The beekeeper’s situation is hardly an isolated case; it’s practically the norm as legions of youth leave the countryside for the ever-expanding big cities.

Currently based in Toronto, Diedie Weng brings her own experience of her country’s generational divide to the project. That sensitivity imbues this intimate tale with a surprising resonance.

The Beekeeper and His Son opens Friday with English subtitles at Cinéma du Parc.