DIR: Carter Gunn, Ross McDonnell • PRO: Morgan Bushe, Macdara Kelleher • DOP: Ross McDonnell • ED: Carter Gunn
Colony is a real-life murder mystery – but with bees. This beautifully shot documentary focuses on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD a phenomenon that has manifested itself in the drastic rise in the disappearances of bees, and the effect it has on the beekeeping industry in the US.
Focusing on the lives of beekeepers during this crisis, one of the film’s subjects is experienced professional David Mendes, a man who’s trying to maintain his own business while rallying the beekeepers of America with the goal to find a solution to the blight. However, relative newcomers to the industry, Lance and Victor Seppi are also having some trouble. There are some sublime David Brent moments as these young Christians negotiate for the sake of their business. Subtle editing assists in illustrating the irony between the functioning matriarchal society of the hive, juxtaposed with the not-so-functional matriarchal home of the Seppis.
The structure strikes a nice balance between examining the possible cause of CCD and the potential effects on agriculture, in addition to its effects on a more personal level. A great piece of cinema, Colony is an engagingly insightful feast for the eyes – all the while managing to impose a vague feeling of impending apocalyptic doom.
Gemma Creagh
Colony is released exclusively at IFI on 23rd July 2010.
