THE BEE SEASON
US, 2005, 105 minutes, Colour.
Richard Gere, Juliet Binoche, Flora Cross, Max Minghella, Kate Bosworth.
Directed by Scott Mc Ghee and David Seigel.
In recent years, American cinema has experienced something of an infatuation with spelling bees. There was the wonderful documentary which did so well at the box-office and on television, Spellbound, which followed the preparations of eight youngsters for the national championships and pulled no punches in showing how gruelling this work could be for the students – and the pressures from parents.
2006 saw Akeelah and the Bee with Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett.
In 2005, Bee Season was released but, surprisingly, was not a box-office winner. Given that the cast was led by Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche, this seems strange. Given that it focused on an 11 year old girl who won the local and state competitions and went to the finals in Washington, this also seems strange.
But, when you see it, you will understand why. There is much more to it than the spelling bees. It is a film about words and offers a great deal of thought about words. In fact, there are also fascinating religious dimensions to the film and a lot of God talk.
The core plot is quite straightforward: Eliza Naumann is good at spelling, wins competitions and is coached by her University lecturer father, Saul, who devotes himself to his daughter. She qualifies for the finals. The family seem devoted. Mother, Miriam, has converted from Catholicism to Judaism for her husband’s sake. The older son, Aaron, is a devout and searching young man. Richard Gere is genial and quietly controlling as Saul. Juliet Binoche is loving but increasingly bewildered as Miriam. Flora Cross (whose first film this is and whose first language is French) is completely convincing as Flora and Max Minghella (son of director, Anthony Minghella, also in his first film) is persuasive as a good young man but who is teetering on the edge of rebellion.
The background of the film is the increasing dysfunction in the family.
While the spelling sequences are exciting in their academic way, and the family troubles, subtle at first and then quite surprising, are important, audiences may find some of the religious dimensions tougher going. But they are rewarding.
Naomi Foner (who has written few but interesting screenplays like Running on Empty and is the mother of Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal) has adapted a novel by Myla Goldenberg. In the novel, Saul was a cantor at the synagogue. Here he lectures in comparative religion at Berkeley and has written his thesis on the Kabbalah. We hear part of his lecture on the ‘tukkim olan’ theme of Hebrew thought: how God could not contain his love and transmitted his loving energy into a big bang which created our world; how our work in this world is to restore the unity, to bring the shards together so that they hold the light; the restoration of the world is a reparation, a repairing of the world and any act of kindness, any altruism restores this unity.
With his interest in Kabbalah, Saul is a man of words and is delighted at his daughter’s power with words, her intense concentration, her visualising of words, seeing clues in her surroundings. He realises she could be a suitable person for Kabbalah mysticism and trains her in meditation.
In the meantime, he unwittingly relegates Aaron and his cello-playing to the sidelines of the family. In the meantime, Aaron finds his father’s control and God talk constricting and visits a church during Mass, meets an attractive girl (Kate Bosworth) who invites him to Hari Krishna meetings which seem to fulfil his spiritual needs. Miriam, we discover, has been shattered by her childhood, death of parents, boarding school, and has an obsession with collecting glass, collecting shards to capture the light. This has some devastating consequences for her and for the family.
The film was directed by Scott Mc Gehee and David Siegel who made a strong film about mother love, The Deep End and the thriller, Suture..
There is much in Bee Season to entertain. There is much to think about.
1. The impact of the film as drama? Family drama? The particular focus on Judaism, Jewish religious themes? The emphasis on the popularity of spelling bees and the role of children training and participating in such spelling bees?
2. The Oakland, California setting, the family and home, school, the world of spelling bees, mansions, the university, science laboratories? Authentic? The musical score?
3. The film as a focus on a little girl, a portrait, in herself, in the family context, in the religious context, academics? Her achievement and its effect on her life and personality?
4. The story of a family, their bonds, the opening and the bonds in the family, loving father and mother, children? The gradual revelation of pressures, expectations? The shattering of the family, the testing of the family?
5. The importance of the Jewish background? The way that it was introduced? Aaron and his lessons at home? Flora and her questions? Miriam and her conversion? Saul and his university lectures? The themes of Creation, the role of God in creating the world, the creation of light? The breaking of the world, the need for healing? The role of God in the healing? Bringing together the scattered pieces? Humans? The importance of kindness and altruism? The practice of their faith, at home? The Hebrew lessons and the Hebrew language? Classes and philosophy?
6. The theme of language in the film, the English of the dialogue, the use of Hebrew language, the importance of biblical language, the delight in the word, in words, the origins of words, the power of words? Eliza and her trances and imagining the words for her spelling? The introduction of kabbalah, the mystic aspects of words and the use of words and their meanings? The religious dimensions?
7. The theme of light, the kaleidoscope, the various shards, the jewels that Miriam stole, putting them together? The recreating of what was shattered?
8. The background of the marriage, the bonds between husband and wife, their love, her conversion? Saul and his narcissism, not realising what was happening to Miriam or the children? The expectations on Miriam? Her wanting to hold the light?
9. Saul, his being busy, a controller without his realising it, the practical dictating of what was to happen even at a barbecue, his expectations of his children, not realising what was happening in himself and to the others? His devotion to Aaron, playing the cello? Discovering Eliza’s talent and his losing interest in Aaron? Reprimanding Aaron? Alienating his son, alienating his wife, putting pressure on his daughter?
10. Eliza and her studies, Hebrew, words, her love of spelling, the local spelling bee, the further competitions, her success? The letter under the door? Pride? Saul and his changing? His decision to train Eliza, incessantly training her, every opportunity, even inopportune, leading to the mystic sense of what she was doing? Miriam being ousted from this process?
11. Eliza, her age, her experience, introverted, spelling, her mystic visions with the words? Winning the competition? The change in her? Her father ignoring her, the letter, the change? His training her, the pressure on her? The introduction of the kabbalah, her going into trances? The competitions, her winning? The family support? The final training, going to the hotel, her trying the kabbalah by herself, her collapse, the fit? Going to the competition, her decision to fail? The possibilities of normality for her? Bringing the family together after her father’s shock at her loss?
12. The character of Saul, Richard Gere’s style? The obsessions, teaching, the religious dimensions of his life, philosophical? His self-absorption but not realising it, controlling the family? The pressures on the family? His ignoring Eliza, focusing on Aaron and the cello? His change? His training Eliza and the pressure on her, her collapse? Going to the final, his shock at her loss? Aaron and his support?
13. Aaron, his skill, the cello, relating to his family, the change with his father’s interest in Eliza, his telling Aaron to be quiet? His interactions with Eliza, the tension? His own religious search, going to Mass, searching the other religions, meeting Chali, the friendship with her, the relationship, going to the Hare Krishna, the lessons, the chants, the camp? His father coming to get him and taking him away?
14. The Hare Krishna, Chali, her beliefs, her attraction towards Aaron, bringing him to the meetings, the chants, the lessons, the sexual relationship, her reaction to his leaving?
15. Miriam, Juliet Binoche’s presence, style? Her character, French background, conversion to Judaism, the flashbacks to her parents, their deaths? Her work as a scientist? A different world from her husband’s mysticism? Her distance from her children? Her belief in the Creation theories, things shattered, needing to be brought together again? Her reaction to her husband? Her absences from home, unexplained, her stealing, her collapse, the discovery of the kaleidoscope, her wanting to bring the light together again? The police? In hospital? Her watching the television and her pride in her daughter?
16. The portraits of the characters? The study of the family and its breakdown? The particularly religious, theological and philosophical focus? The mysticism? The spelling bee as a means of symbolising this?
