Bees are in trouble, and their livelihood has major implications on the human race. Chances are you're already familiar with the subject matter of Taggart Siegel's eco-documentary, since this grave thesis has become a trending topic amongst environmentally conscious types as of late. Colony-collapse disorder is the discomforting phenomenon that is rapidly killing off our winged friends, and the film intricately lays out the causes and the reasons we should care — notably that, through pollination, bees play a role in producing 40 percent of the food we consume daily. But instead of going all Al Gore and casting stones from his soap box, Siegel takes an evenhanded approach in getting both sides of the story, talking to the single-crop farmers who share much of the blame and the batshit beekeepers dead-set on reviving the world's honey bee population one comb at a time. And I'm using batshit in the kindest possible way here, since these folks are truly the heart of this doc — but once you bear witness to the eccentric Yvon Achard and his trick involving his mustache and a hive of oddly receptive bees, you'll agree with me.
83 MINUTES | MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
