Customer Reviews

Bee Season

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Surprisingly, "Bee Season" is one of the most difficult films that I have chosen to review. Why? It's an incredibly ambitious, adult and serious piece. And while I don't think, ultimately, that it was wholly a success--I admire it for striving to be great. With so many films choosing to play it safe, it's hard for me to criticize a film that goes out on a limb--for this film asks us to examine language, family, faith, spiritualism, mental illness, and religion. Those looking for an inspirational spelling bee story are in for a surprise as you are asked to spend time with this deeply intelligent and deeply flawed family.

Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche play the parents in what looks to be an idyllic upper middle class family. They play well off one another and are a credible onscreen couple. This is a good role for Binoche, and Gere is positively captivating as a demanding, sometimes inattentive, intellectual. Binoche is haunted by a secret and driven by a force unseen, and her confusion is palpable. Max Minghella, as the son, spends much of the film in intellectual debate with his proud dad. They have the bond of teacher and protege as much as father and son. When the daughter, Flora Cross, displays an uncanny aptitude for spelling--there comes a shift. Suddenly Gere focuses on her success and alienates Minghella.

Everyone is on a mission in "Bee Season," a spiritual journey. Everyone is looking for what will complete them, not realizing that perhaps they already have the answers before them. There are a lot of kaleidoscopic images (a not so subtle metaphor for their fractured lives), and some great visual trickery during the spelling competitions. I admired the way the movie was put together, it is very compelling visually--but the symbolism is layered on a bit thick.

Before things conclude, there are examinations of different faiths including Judaism and a sect of Hare Krisnas. But in the film's most startling moment, we seek to communicate to God himself. I can't remember the last studio film of a serious nature so bold in it's choices. Again, some might see these things as heavy handed or incomprehensible--not everything worked for me. The film's biggest flaw was Binoche's character--with much of her backstory left to the imagination, it's hard to understand why what is happening to her is happening now. She's led a seemingly normal life--and nothing seems to have changed--I wanted a better understanding.

Aspects of "Bee Season" have lingered with me. As you can see, many people loathe this film--with some merit, it has been mismarketed to a certain degree. But for serious thought and contemplation, I recommend the film. It's 3 1/2 stars--there's a lot of ambiguity--but I'm rounding up for sheer ambition. KGHarris, 11/06.

On the surface, this looks like it's a movie about spelling, but that's about as accurate as calling "Charlie's Angels" a TV show about law enforcement. "Bee Season," directed by David Siegel and Scott McGehee, is about how four members of a Jewish family individually attempt to "touch" God and how these actions rip them apart and then bring them together. Richard Gere gives a career-high performance as Saul Naumann, the patriarch of the family. Saul's a professor of religion who, through studies of mysticism, attempts to reach God through his achievements and, in some ways, his ego. At the film's opening, he's so preoccupied with his work that he essentially ignores his family. His wife Miriam (Juliette Binoche) feels disconnected from Saul, and her life contains secrets that she doesn't let anyone else know. Their son Aaron, played by Max Minghella, tries to seek out God through alternate religions almost as a way to gain his father's attention. Their 11-year-old daughter Eliza, meanwhile, is a genuine mystic, something that's discovered when she wins her class spelling bee. Everyone else in her family is trying to discover the truth about God, but, to Eliza, God just is. She feels Him and senses Him in everything around her. When she spells, she sees God in the words and suddenly the letters just appear in her mind. Young actress Flora Cross plays Eliza, and her remarkable performance holds the entire film together. The film addresses big philosophical ideas bravely, making points relatable. It takes concepts of faith and translates them visually. And, aside from all that, the film has a compelling, complicated story that's filled with twists and surprises. This movie came and went from theaters with very little buzz, which is a shame. It's one of the most thought-provoking films of the year.

First my bias, this is my favorite film of all time. This should be classified as an intellectual film, and not simply an entertainment-style movie. If you are the type that is interested in mysticism, exploring other religions, intellectual hypocrisy, the way we repair grief and family dysfunction, healing, and forgiveness you will love this. It touches on deep, deep topics and references other films often (the opening sequence is a clear reference to Fellini, for example). If you're not interested, or worse, turned off by these topics, RUN, don't walk the other direction.

On the surface this story is about a 6th grade Jewish girl, Flora, who feels neglected by her father until she begins to win spelling bees. Slowly his focus begins to switch to her, but then other dysfunctions in the family become more apparent. The writers, directors, and actors did and excellent job portraying a depth and breadth of this story. It is not about spelling- it never was.

It is about how we let God flow through us. It is about whether mysticism is truly rare. It is about whether those who teach religion - or even claim it - really understand it or act on it in any sort of heartfelt way. It is about hypocrisy. It is about how the actions or inactions of people can have major consequences to tear us apart or to bring reconciliation. It's about the fragmented nature of a broken world. It's about how we deal with our grief over that world. How our role in that world is to do whatever we can-however small- to help put back together the fragments again. It's about poetry. I highly recommended this film!

Everything in this film comes right back to Light: light is truth, light reveals what is hidden, light guides us; light confuses us only when shattered and scattered, so therefore the quest to restore and make whole is at the heart of all religion. Bee Season is the story of the Naumann family and their need to become whole again, as individuals and as a group.

On the surface the Naumann family appears to be a wonderful example of enlightened, upper middle class togetherness. They are each accomplished, intelligent and educated, living and working harmoniously and respectfully in the same house - but it's funny how a single change can upset their dynamic and expose secrets. When 6th grader Eliza enters a spelling bee at her school, she has no idea of the ripples that would spread through her household from this one innocent act. You see, Eliza has been gifted with an unusual link to the Divine; she is able to hear from and see God in small bits of light that reveal the hidden secrets of words. She has true mystical ability, and despite being the youngest and most naive in her family (or perhaps because of it), Eliza is far closer to the truth of God than any of them. The rest are each busy hiding secrets from the world or from themselves, and so end up distancing themselves from finding the truth in the end. Her father pursues truth obsessively through academia, while ignoring everybody but Eliza in whom he recognizes this divine spark on some level while not understanding the nature of it. Her mother is desperately attempting to heal her own shattered psyche by gathering stolen facets of pretty glass together - a way of collecting light, to her way of thinking. Her brother Aaron is the only honest man in his own way - he has little self-delusion, searching for God, meaning and truth with open zeal. Aaron only has problems facing his parents with his doubts about Judaism, but it would seem as if that alone is enough to keep him from complete revelation.

Although much of the premise of this film's plot derives from Kaballistic teachings (with which I disagree as a Christian), I do think that there is a great deal of wisdom in the way this story tells of the need for simple, childlike faith and the futility of readching God through your own terms. What's more, there's something joyful about seeing the hidden world of the Divine through a child's eyes. IMHO the talents of actress Flora Cross and the director of Bee Season pulled this off particularly well.

Bee Season has as much to do with spelling as Magnolia was about flowers, which is to say, very little. Be prepared instead for a light and magical experience woven though with universal human frailties.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle.

BEE SEASON is a strange little film that seems to polarize the public. Though many have dismissed it as fragmentary and superficial, taking the time to bear down on the issues merely touched upon yields an emotional as well as spiritual experience not often found in films. With a cast that includes Juliette Binouche and Richard Gere there should be a hint there may be more to the film than a quick glance might reveal.

Based on the highly successful novel by Myla Goldberg the story enters the household of a family of four: Saul (Richard Gere) is the father who is a professor of spiritual studies; Miriam (Juliette Binouche) is the mother suffering with demons from her past loss of her parents as a child leading her to grow without an intact family; Eliza (Flora Cross) is the daughter who seems content to watch TV instead of paying attention to her schooling; and Aaron (Max Minghella) is the son who excels at playing the cello and who is the focus of his father's life. When it is discovered that Eliza has a penchant for spelling and wins a spelling bee the focus of this family abruptly changes. Suddenly Saul moves his attention to Eliza, convinced that she has the power of the influx of God-knowledge (shefa) described by the Kabbalist Abraham Abulafia. This leads to his prepping her for her constant victories at spelling bees, but it also leaves Aaron without focus and he responds by seeking first Christianity then Hare Krishna for the meaning of his life. At the same time Miriam becomes more isolated and secretive and enters a state of depression that reflects her childhood loss and the need to accumulate 'things' in a number of ways that border on mental breakdown.

The film is best viewed, by the way, by first watching the featurette about the reasons for the making of the film - a wise commentary that gives us enough philosophical background to appreciate the message of the story that seemingly has eluded directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel. Watching the explanation of how religions all act to provide frameworks that should help individuals to piece together the fragments of existence that have been given to us as our lives serves to bring into focus how each of the four characters in this story is each on that journey for meaning. Once viewed, this featurette makes the movie far more meaningful and enjoyable.

The screenplay by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal (yes, the mother of Maggie and Jake) is minimalist in technique of writing, giving just enough information about the big questions to make us work to paste the story together. The cinematography by Giles Nuttgens and special effects by Sean House are used extraordinarily well to underline the mysticism that permeates the film's story. Peter Nashel's musical score accompanies the otherworldly atmosphere that helps to bring the audience into the mood of the film.

This may not be a great film, but it is a unique one that calls upon the audience to think and free-associate with the characters, each of whom is well enacted by a strong cast. Well worth viewing. Grady Harp, April 06

I had to buy the book to determine original intent of the writer. The reviews of the book, and indeed most of the reviews of the movie are far more interesting than I found the movie to be.

Much has been made of Saul's overbearing presence, and the rest of the family's "reaction" to it: Mimi's "compulsion", Aaron's rebellion, and Eliza's drabness. The writers of the screenplay and directors of the movie tried very hard to push the viewer's interpretation toward pinning all the blame on Saul. However, It seemed to me that Saul was a scholarly, devout, hopeful man who happened to be married to a schizophrenic with 2 children with schizophrenic tendencies. He seemed to be in deep denial and trying very hard (spending lots of time helping his son with his cello, doing all the cooking when his wife disappears for hours on end with no explanation) to try to maintain some semblance of a normal life. It seemed to me that he was the only glue holding that family together.

The minute his attention shifted to his daughter, all hell broke loose. It is important to note that his attention would have to shift dramatically. "BEE SEASON" only lasts a certain period of time. If he was going to help her at all, it would have to be intensively during the time the spelling bees were occuring. And yes, his methods were rather bizarre; however, they were in keeping with his character. Yes, he was eager to help and excited to find a way to connect with his daughter. What parent wouldn't be?

Robbed of his cello practice (and intensive attention from Dad) Aaron runs off and joins the Hari Krishnas. Mimi, overcome with post traumatic stress at the realization that her daughter has inherited some of her tendencies, escalates her secretive, illegal behavior to the point of being arrested and committed to an insane asylum. At the end of the day, Eliza is so influenced by these two that she ends up throwing the National Spelling Bee rather than channel her gift (which could be a connection with God or a bent toward magical thinking) in a constructive manner.

My interpretation may be simplistic and insensitive (two traits not usually attributed to me) but the story struck me as being a tribute to the triumph of insanity in the face of hope and optimism. I was very disgusted with it.

What I will say for it is this: I have thought about it a lot. It's been about a week since I saw it, and I have just ordered the book. After I read it, I may actually watch the movie again (depending on what I think of the book)from a different perspective. I have a feeling I will like the book a lot better than I liked the movie.

I think that stories involving Spelling Bees have an inherent flaw in them because since those in the contest are better spellers than the audience they always dumb down the key words in the contest. I am an atrocious speller, but I have watched the National Spelling Bee, where it takes these kids two minutes to spell words because they have a standard set of questions to go through, from time to time. That is why it seems to me that these kids are always missing words that they should not be missing, so that the audience has an opportunity to play along. This is true in "Bee Season," but fortunately here it only underscores the key point of the film, which is not really about Spelling Bees.

"Bee Season" begins and ends at the National Spelling Bee and it is clear from what little we see in the beginning that young Eliza Naumann (Flora Cross) is going to be one of the two kids left standing at the end. In the audience is her smiling father, Saul Naumann (Richard Gere), and as we go back to see how they came to be at this time and place we learn that our assumptions about this father and daughter scene are a bit off the mark. In fact, the Naumann prove to be another unhappy family, albeit unlike any one that we have come across before. Saul is a professor Jewish theology and the Kabbalah at Berkely, whose beliefs are more academic than spiritual. His wife, Miriam (Juliette Binoche), goes off in the middle of the night to break into homes and steal small objects that sparkle and shine. Their teenage son Aaron (Max Minghella) is rebelling against his father's dogmatic authoritarianism and becomes a Hare Krishna.

When Eliza begins winning Spelling Bees, her family does not notice. She tries to inform her father by writing him a letter, but he fails to see it. Indeed, he has been ignoring her for the first twelve years of her life. After all, his wife is a scientist and his son plays classical cello, but what has Eliza done to deserve his attention? When her success comes to his attention, he immediate begins to coach her. Is this so that she can do well or so that he can claim the credit for her success? To me it is obviously the latter. There is a moment in one of the Spelling Bees when Eliza is given a word that Saul knows she does not know (I assume because he did not teach it to her). She spells it correctly and for a moment there is a look on Saul's face that makes it clear to me that he knows his daughter does not need him. However, this does not change his behavior.

Ultimately, Saul's sin is something greater than the arrogance of parental ego because he does not understand why it is Eliza does not need him. He teaches God and the name of God are the same thing: in the beginning there was the Word, and that was the agent of divine creation. Eliza was winning Spelling Bees without studying because she never needed to: you give her a word, she closes her eyes, and the letters of the words magically appear. Actually, that would really be that they mystically appear. Saul teaches about such things, but Eliza is the real article, and her learned father does not have a clue that what he teaches is indeed true. But then his family has been falling apart for years and this learned man has failed to notice the clear evidence of this before his very eyes. Irony abounds in this film, but it is an irony grounded in pain.

Eliza is the light of this movie and Saul the black hole, and I must admit to binge more offended by his behavior than I am amazed at her talents. There is a moment of redemption at the end of this film, but whether realization leads to reformation is something we can only assume, and most people Eliza's age can tell you why that would be a mistake. This 2005 film was directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, who have done "The Deep End" and "Suture" together. The script was written by Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal ("Running on Empty"), based on the novel by Myla Goldberg, and it cannot be faulted for capturing the character of Saul so well that it pushes one of my buttons. I still remember the Little League baseball game where I saw what atrocities parents could commit in supporting their children, and ever since such perversions of love have rankled my soul. Hopefully when you watch "Bee Season" it will be Eliza and not Saul who dominates your thoughts and feelings.

The book that this movie is based on is truly amazing. The characters are complex and maladjusted and we get intensive insight into each of their minds as they struggle to interact. In the movie however, there is none of this. This was is absolutely painful to watch, knowing the greatness that the book contains and seeing the true soul of the story sliced out and discarded! For example, Aaron's storyline has been altered so that it has lost all internal spiritually contemplative meaning by making Chali some girl that he flirts with and even comes home to meet the parents?? Come on. So much has been changed that it is absolutely ridiculous. There is no way that this movie could have encompassed Myla Goldberg's vision.

In the middle of the intelligent (and too intelligent) drama about one family, made by the director team of `The Deep End,' there is one great thing in `Bee Season.' It is little girl named Eliza played by newcomer Flora Cross, whose acting is just fantastic.

The film, based on the bestselling book by Myla Goldberg, starts like a drama about one family living in Auckland. It introduces us to a father (Richard Gere), a professor teaching Judaism and Kabbalah in university, a mother (Juliette Binochue), a son (Max Minghella, son of film director Anthony), and a daughter Eliza (Flora Cross). So far, nothing unusual.

But when Eliza enters a local spelling contest and wins the prize, the family starts to change. Or, to be precise, the film itself starts to look strange, exploring the hidden yearning of each member of the apparently ordinary family, so far repressed and concealed from each other. While Eliza keeps winning and finally goes to the national championship, the audience is going to know the slightly disturbing secrets of them expressed with the beautiful photography of Giles Nuttgens.

[SPELLING BEE] `Spelling Bee' is not about spelling bee contest alone (if you want to see it on screen, find the gripping documentary `Spellbound'). `Spelling Bee' is about the family, and `spelling' plays the role of the media through which Eliza explores the meaning of vast knowledge she has yet to acquire. But as you see -- and Eliza sees - the spelling also is the beginning of the collapse of her `perfect family.' You know, spelling could be magic, which you should treat carefully.

The film is virtually tour-de-force of Flora Cross as Eliza, whose dead serious facial expression will win the hearts and minds of your instantly. She is not the kind of girl you would describe `cute' or `charming' but that is exactly why she deserves special mention here. She is truly in character Eliza, who alone knows how to put the broken family together, and she just does what she has to do. If any other part of `Spelling Bee' looks unbelievable, she remains authentic, the real of star of the film.

Apart from excellent Flora Cross, the film is likely to receive mixed reviews. The reason is clear: the nature of family's secrets, or each member's behaviors. I'm not going to write about it, but all I can say is, like `The Deep End' in which awfully melodramatic story strained our suspension of disbelief, what you come to know about the family are often beyond belief. Not that they are totally impossible. But Binochue's character (and repeated 'glass' images) is too much for me, and Kate Bosworth chanting Hare Krishna (who plays an important role) may not be the right casting.

The overall impression of the film is a little detached, if not icy, because it tries to do so many things (and 'many' include something about God). The film is, to me, too clever for its own good. One example will do: that is unnecessary use of CGI. When Eliza answers "cotyledon" in the contest, you see CGI-created cotyledon (and leaves, and flowers) around her face. That's what Eliza `sees' in her mind, the film explains. But that's exactly what the film should not do while Eliza's eyes tell us everything.

I am greatly impressed with the acting of Flora Cross, who superb acting expresses the innocence and wisdom found in a little girl. In fact, her eyes speak the story better than the too intelligent film itself.

** ½

I'm going to damn this one with faint praise. "Bee Season" is a strange, at times, interesting film. For a while, it seems as though it will be one of those "feel good" films the entire family can go to and enjoy. But a couple of strange narrative turns make the final product...well, just strange.

Saul Naumann (Richard Gere), a professor at Cal Berkeley specializing in various aspects of the Kabbalah, lives in Oakland with his wife, Miriam (Juliette Binoche), son Aaron (Max Minghella) and daughter Eliza (Flora Cross). Saul is obsessed with his teachings and studies and shuts his family out, spending large amounts of time in his study. When his children show some aptitude at a new skill, he devotes more and more time with them, obsessing over their newfound skill. His current family obsession is helping Aaron study music and the Kabbalah. Eliza wins her school spelling bee and is invited to participate in the city spelling bee. She leaves the invitation under the door of her father's study. When he doesn't mention it, she assumes that he doesn't have anything to say and asks Aaron to drive her to the competition. Which she wins. Bringing home the trophy, Saul is ecstatic and Eliza becomes his new project. Eliza has a gift; she can see the letters of any word forming before her eyes, helping her spell difficult words correctly. As Saul turns more and more of his attention to Eliza, Miriam and Aaron feel more and more abandoned and each pursues a strange and unusual path.

Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, whose most recognized previous effort is a black and white film called "Suture" (a strange, unusual, but better film worth a rent from Netflix), "Bee" has all of the elements of one of those `feel good' movies that so frequently populate the multiplexes. Something the entire family can enjoy. The acting is good. The story has a central hook of the spelling bees, providing lots of shots of children in the various competitions. In other words, if it looks, acts and talks like an elephant, it must be an elephant. But in the case of "Bee", the path of the characters take off in some strange, not entirely believable directions, robbing the film of any of the impact it may have had, making it more appropriate for adults who won't necessarily appreciate all of the shots of kids at spelling bees.

Gere is okay. He has certainly been better and he has certainly been worse in other films. We have seen him play the devoted father/ husband before and in "Bee" he plays an emotionally distant version of this same character. Because of this, Saul doesn't seem connected to the other people in his family. This would be interesting and believable if there were some kind of payoff in the end. The finale is abrupt and seems emotionally bereft. It seems as though the actors are exchanging meaningful looks like they understand what the characters are supposed to be experiencing, but this doesn't translate to the screen. We, the audience, don't understand what they are supposed to be experiencing and the film ultimately means little.

Juliette Binoche is good. We get the sense that Miriam is growing more and more distant from her husband. Why this is happening is a little muddled, but there is enough of a reason for this that we get it. Towards the middle of the film, her character begins to do strange things which are never really explained. We see the actions, but we don't understand the motivations behind them. Because of this, her character is an enigma that is never fully explained.

Aaron (Max Minghella) is a bit more complicated. Initially, he seems to be your typical teenager. His father pressures him to study music and the Kabbalah, becoming obsessed with his son's practice and training. Aaron appears mildly annoyed that he is under so much scrutiny. Then when his father's attentions shift to Eliza, he seems annoyed that his father has lost interest in him. This part works, but when he starts to follow a different path and become a more rebellious teenager, the character falls apart. The problem is that his rebellious nature is very mild and never establishes his more wild side until it suddenly appears. He only seems mildly annoyed at things. So when he suddenly becomes a more stereotypical teen, the character doesn't work.

Flora Cross is perhaps the best thing about the film. She is the rare child actor who can actually act in a natural way. Eliza has the ability to see the words form before her eyes, one letter at a time, as she spells them out. She doesn't know where this ability comes from, or even question it, which seems natural for a 6th grader. But again, as he character develops, Eliza moves in a direction that is strange and not entirely convincing.

The film looks good. The settings are all beautiful and the filmmakers have made every attempt to find all of the best things about Oakland and the Bay Area, featuring them in different scenes.

I am a fan of stories, films and television that take us in unexpected directions. But those directions have to make sense. How does something unexpected make sense? In the case of "Bee", the characters have to make everything believable. Do we believe that they would do these unexpected things or take these unexpected actions? When one character changes their religion, it isn't believable because their actions haven't been strong enough to that point. When another character begins studying an ancient form of Kabbalah that allows them to speak to God, it really doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. When another character has a breakdown, again it doesn't seem integrated into their character's development or the story.

"Bee Season" is a pass.