Best movie of this year hands down!

I love this movie so much

People are voting emotionally.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Set in the Black Sea area of Turkey, BAL is a vivid depiction of village life under threat. Yakup (Erdal Besikcioglu) tries to make a living collecting honey, but finds that there is no money in it. He travels to another part of the region in search of better prospects, but meets a sticky end. His fellow-villagers eke out an existence through traditional pursuits such as rope-making, but they cannot really survive. The main focus of the action is on Yusuf (Bora Altas) a young boy who feels unable to communicate with the outside world; possessed of a stammer, he is frequently laughed at by his classmates. The only was he can survive is through dreams of a better life - whether it be in the Black Sea region, or as symbolized by the elements (such as the moon). The cinematic style is slow, with plenty of long shots allowing viewers to contemplate the characters' reactions within the frame. However director Semih Kaplanoglu uses this style to make an acute commentary on a declining way of life, as well as showing the ways in which children are often forced to do things they don't want to, both at home and at school. A complex film that befits repeated viewings.

'Bal' is an interesting Turkish drama with inspiration on European cinema and they really managed to make it look European.Overall, it's a neat movie, with no unpleasant surprises and nothing offensive or questionable. Interesting it is, but could be a little more involving. It's a touching story but moves very slowly, maybe too much for its own good. However, the biggest problem is that it lacks something, perhaps more soul and emotion. Also, it is much too repetitive, with way too many scenes which nothing special happens, most scenes are basically more of the same, many of which show nothing but the boy walking very slowly and looking around empty rooms. Much of it is pretty silent, as there are few dialogs.There is beautiful cinematography and settings.The little boy of the film, Yusuf, is quite cute and the actor who portrays him (Bora Atlas) does a fine job but he must have felt awfully bored with this role, as it prevents him from doing so much he could do. The boy in the film must be one of the shyest children I've ever seen in a movie. He is very very quiet and calm, talks very little but seems to suffer from a serious lack of ability to read. You can tell he's feeling awful for not being able to read properly but he can't help it.A reasonable movie but not as remarkable as it should be. I enjoyed it but something's missing.

First of all i am a Turk, what's more, i like honey and milk very much !!! so this reality will affect my comment of course, i am not sure what would i say if the film was for example from India or Pakistan or Malaysia etc. Probably i would give 3/10, sorry but that's it. The film attracts my attention because it is simply real life, and all you see might be happening at the same time somewhere in north of Turkey. i am glad to see that, this kind of films are still being made, i wouldn't like that all directors go for Avatar,2012,inception or such films which have %80 computer technology. This film is a real escape for everyone who is bored of watching what is more popular nowadays in cinema. The film is very slow, like the nature itself in the film, for me, there is no point in settling down the cameras and microphones in the middle of nature and record it, for documentary of course the remote controller is set to national geographic, but not for a film. but this film is made of %80 nature and its quite awaiting for the eternity. some of you even could easily fall asleep when watching, which is -i think- not the aim of the director Kaplanoğlu. There are no any hit quotes in mutual dialogs, very simple and -unfortunately- without the accent of this region, it may seem nothing for a foreign watcher, but its very bad for a Turkish one. Also personally the festival in a large valley -towards the end of the film- destroys the quiet and dreamy atmosphere of the film. There are some symbols in honey, dead bees etc, but these are a little bit meaningless without some very powerful quotes. The father (erdal Beşikçioğlu) is a right choice but i cant say the same thing for the mother. The acting of Yusuf (the boy) worths watching. And there are very nice scenes showing Yusuf is waiting for his father. But please let's be realistic, anyone who goes to the same district with a hand-camera could have some nice shots whether or not he is professional. For me the main actor in this film is Nature.But i would like to thank to Kaplanoğlu who give it a chance. Watch it, but never watch it because it won the Golden Bear.

Bal (Honey) is the last film of Semih Kaplanoglu's Yusuf Trilogy. When I first read the script I was convinced that this one shall be the most powerful of the trilogy, and the result seems to confirm me. It is an exquisite film in all senses: the story, acting, visuals, and sound. The kid is superb. Well, it deserves a Golden Bear in Berlinale. I organized a special screening of the film for some European film professionals in Istanbul. Everybody was quite impressed by the masterful naivite and simplicity. The film skilfully manages to portray the kid's world and perspective. There are strong symbolic references waiting the viewers to decipher. The best thing to do is to watch the film. I'm sure you'll not regret it. Just some questions: lets all of us just think why the bees are dying. What kind of a relation do we have with the nature that we cause the bees to die? What is missing? Honey: a sweet thing which is a natural product of the bees. If the bees all die, where shall we find the honey? BAL poses a calm question to our modern civilization, to our modern selves.