Bee Season Review
by samseescinema (sammeriam AT comcast DOT net)September 16th, 2005
Bee Season
reviewed by Sam Osborn
-www.samseescinema.com
rating: 3.5 out of 4
Director: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Screenplay: Naomi Foner (based on the novel by Myla Goldberg) Cast: Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Flora Cross, Max Minghella, Kate Bosworth
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (thematic elements, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language)
At first glance, Bee Season seems to be just another clichéd family melodrama waltzing its way into your multiplex. But please, please, please give this film a chance. Based on Myla Goldberg's critically acclaimed bestseller, this film adaptation by directing team Scott McGehee and David Siegel strikes all the right notes. There's a veneer of family melodrama, but beneath it there's a deeply affecting story about each family member's sense of spirituality. I realize that the word "spirituality" alludes to images of What the Bleep do we Know?! and other pseudo-philosophic pieces you've suffered through, but Bee Season has little to do with those. For one, there's no hardboiled message tagged onto Bee Season. Actually, if anyone were to walk away from the film with a lesson, it would be that there is no right answer. It's up to you to figure one out for yourself. Second, there's more to Bee Season than "spirituality". There's a smart and well acted family drama to go along with it.
Bee Season opens with little Eliza Naumann's (Flora Cross) class spelling bee. Passing through the class competition and continuing onto the school bee, she surprises both herself and her brother, Aaron (Max Minghella), by taking first prize and moving on to districts. Eliza's father, Saul (Richard Gere), a Judaism Scholar and college professor, was caught unawares by the good news, and was delighted to pass it on to their scientist mother, Miriam (Juliette Binoche) who was also unaware of her daughter's natural talent for words. Even more surprising, Eliza goes on to win the Districts competition and continues on to Regionals. Saul, whose interest had mostly laid in Max's affinity for classical music, slowly begins turning towards Eliza's talents. Just as a sidenote: don't worry, there isn't any jealousy interplay between Aaron and Eliza over their father's attention. Bee Season's too smart for that. Anyway, with more free time on his hands without his father's music, Aaron finds himself with an intriguing, free-spirited girl named Chali (Kate Bosworth), whose involvement with the Hari Krishna following interests Aaron. Whether it's the girl or the religion, Aaron begins to explore different religions of the world, wondering if his father's choice of Judaism is best for him.
Aaron's story is the most obvious of sub-plots concerning individualist thinking in terms of theocracy. However, his story isn't ham-handed or blatantly melodramatic. What Aaron deals with is an absorbing coming-of-age story that many people his age can relate to. There's a wonderful scene where Aaron passes by a Catholic Church service and decides to give it a try. Directors McGehee and Siegel almost work as entire characters in of themselves in these pivotal scenes. Their subtle stylistic approach allows the depth of the writing to reveal itself. Max Minghella (director Anthony Minghella's son) does well with his role, playing a young man with a ton of moral fiber, but struggling with his own sense of self.
Saul's interest in Eliza's spelling brings him to digging up his studies for his university thesis paper on the power of words and their connection with the Torah and God. He begins helping Eliza study for regionals, teaching her word exercises that deal more with the spirit of the word than the spelling of it. He soon realizes that Eliza may have more talent than he originally thought. She spells words she hasn't ever heard before, mystically closing her eyes in concentration and slowly sounding off the letters. She says that when she closes her eyes, she "can hear the word's voice." McGehee and Siege's style also shows off here, with a visual representation of the voices of the words. For instance, the word "dandelion", when concentrated upon, causes roots and stems to shoot out from Eliza's hair and shoulders, forming the letters as they haphazardly grow, alerting Eliza to their spelling.
After one particularly tiring night of spell practicing, Eliza's mother comes into the room and awards her daughter with her childhood treasure, the kaleidoscope. But instead of provoking a sweet reminiscence of her earlier days, the kaleidoscope evokes painful memories of her parents' deaths. Miriam's story is probably the most affective, working almost as a mystery. Juliette Binoche impresses in the role, playing a deeply divided and wounded woman whose scars are just beginning to re-open.
Family drama is, in my opinion, the most difficult genre to write. Writers can overshoot their boundaries with shock factor, while other writers tragically understate the family with clichés. It seems that Myla Goldberg's got it right with Bee Season. What I really loved about the story is that it never criminalized a character. The characters may get mad at each other and fight, but the audience is already so deeply involved in every family member's story that we come to realize the side each member is fighting for and can empathize.
At the center of the film, however, is Eliza. Acting as the catalyst for all this change, her affinity for spelling works as the spark to start the fire. Flora Cross is amazing in her role in the same natural way Alex Ethel was in Millions. Their performances seem to come so easily. Come to think of it, much of Bee Season is similar to Millions. The superb acting, the spiritual story, and the director's style. But I think Bee Season is the superior film overall. It's mélange of family tales works as an ensemble story that weaves in and around the centerpiece of Eliza's spelling bee achievements. But I think that its beauty is nearly impossible to display through previews, trailers, posters, critiques, and advertisements. The only way you can understand is to see the film. That's the best recommendation I can give.
-www.samseescinema.com
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