The movie is based on the true story of a woman, Fahrije, who goes against misogynistic societal expectations to become an entrepreneur after her husband went missing during the 1998-1999 Kosovo War. She starts selling her own ajvar and honey, recruiting other women in the process.[5]
Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo, and along with their grief, her family is struggling financially. In order to provide for them she launches a small agricultural business, but in the traditional patriarchal village where she lives, her ambition and efforts to empower herself and other women are not seen as positive things. She struggles not only to keep her family afloat but also against a hostile community who is rooting for her to fail.[6]
Cast
Yllka Gashi as Fahrije
Çun Lajçi as Haxhi
Aurita Agushi as Zamira
Kumrije Hoxha as Nazmije
Adriana Matoshi as Lume
Molikë Maxhuni as Emine
Blerta Ismaili as Edona
Production
The film was produced by Ikone Studio, Industria Film and was co-produced by AlbaSky Film, Alva Film, and Black Cat Production.[1]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021 in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section.[7] On September 8, 2021, Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber acquired the film's U.S. distribution rights and set it for a November 5, 2021 theatrical release in the United States.[8]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 75 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Anchored by Yllka Gashi's outstanding performance, Hive leads viewers on one woman's fact-based quest for self-determination in a patriarchal society."[9]
