aaa 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)