Awealthyrais(aheadoflocaladministrationinTadzhikistan)buildshistoiletrightnexttothehouseofateacherinthevillage.Thearomasofthetoiletdisturbthelifeoftheteacher’sfamily;itisveryupsettingforthem.ButtheraisisalsoanewTadzhik(newmoney)andignoresthecomplaints.Moreover,everytimehevisitsthetoilet,heshamelesslystaresattheteacher’syoungwifeoverthefence.However,thepoweroftheraisissogreatthatnobodydarestoopposehim.Theteacherbuyscheaplyahomerightinfrontoftherais’shousefromanoldmananddecidestobuildapublictoiletthere.Itseemsthattheeraoffairytalesandlegendshasvanishedanditisnotpossibletomakefilm-parables.However,JamshedUsmonovcreatesfilm-parables.Ineveryoneofhisfilmsthereisacharactertellingalegendthatturnsthemeaningofthefilmallaround.InFlightoftheBeeitisataleaboutabee,whichsavedthelifeofanarmy:Onceuponatimeitwasacustomtokilloldpeoplewhoreachedacertainage.ButoneofthesoldiersofAlexandertheGreatdidn’thavethehearttokillhisfather.Hehidhiminhistravelingtrunkandcarrieditonhisbackduringmarches.Thearmycametoadesertandthewarriorsstartedtodiefromthirst.Nobodyknewhowtofindwater.Thefathersaidtohisson:Catchabee,tieawhitethreadtoitslegandfollowit.Itwilltakeyoutowater.Theyfoundwaterandthearmywassaved.Afterthatoldpeopleweresparedbecauseeverybodyrecognizedthemasasourceofwisdom.Thevillageteachertellsthisstorytohisstudentsatthebeginningofthefilm.ItisinterestingtonotehowinthefilmFlightoftheBeedifferentmentalitiesintermingledandco-existed.TheteacheristypicaloftheSovietintelligentsia:hewritesbooksthatnobodypublishes;helooksforjusticefromthegovernmentthathasneverbeenfairtohim.ThesurroundingsofthevillagearestillSoviet:theraishasLenin’sportraitinhisoffice;youngpeopleareidleanddrunkastheyalwayswereduringtheSovietera.Thenewcapitalists,thenewTadzhiksinthevillage,donotweardesignerjacketsanddonottalkoncellphones.Thenewmoneyispresentedinthecharacteroftherais.Ithasalmostafeudalquality;itisthepowerofalocallord.JamshedUsmonovhasauniquetalenttobalancethefunnyandserious,thesimpleandcomplicated.He,likenobodyelse,sensesthisborder,whereasimplestoryturnsintoaparableandfilmcharactersstandoutasarchetypesofdifferentperiodssettogetherinthegapoftimes.(kinokultura/GULNARAABIKEEVA)
