| BEE SEASON |
 2005 - USADirectors: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
- Reviewed by Jennifer
I can see all the ways that Bee Season is not a blockbuster film, but I don't see a thing that should have kept it out of the multiplexes. It was a prominent book adapted for the screen by Mrs. Gyllenhaal (Jake and Maggie's mom), and last time I checked, Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche were fairly big names. Where did we go wrong? Gere stars as Saul, a driven Jewish scholar and patriarch of the Naumann family. He emphasizes the idea that God will allow us to put the broken pieces of our lives together again, and each member of his family is desperately trying to be whole. His wife Miriam (Juliette Binoche), son Aaron (Max Minghella, real-life son of Anthony), and daughter Eliza (Flora Cross) are all chafing under his rule, but he doesn't realize that his need for control is alienating his family. When Eliza advances to the district spelling bee, she slides a letter under Saul's door and waits. He says nothing. Convinced that he doesn't care, she asks her brother to drive her to the bee. When she wins again, she learns that her father never got the letter, and couldn't be happier for her. In fact, a little less enthusiasm might be in order, but such is life with Saul: it's all or nothing. Suddenly Eliza is the center of his universe, and the spelling bee is about much more than winning. Citing an obscure Jewish text, Saul believes Eliza has the ability to channel God through spelling. He begins coaching her relentlessly, and wants her to achieve what he could not. It seems to Eliza that her father's happiness, and perhaps the fate of her entire family, rests upon her performance in the bee...If only she could know that her world is already coming apart at the seams, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Miriam has been showing signs of mental instability for some time, but lately she's taken to walking into strangers' homes and looking for "missing pieces". Sometimes it's an earring, sometimes a tiny knickknack, but ironically it's always something that's unlikely to be missed by the original owner. Her behavior at home becomes increasingly erratic, yet no one knows how to help. Aaron too is going through a crisis. Tired of his father's domineering, he begins a spiritual quest that leads him away from Judaism. After meeting the lovely Chali (Kate Bosworth), he is drawn into the world of the Hare Krishnas. There he finds the sense of family he has longed for at home. Tensions mount as the film builds to its conclusion, and finally the Naumanns learn the truth about each other. Ultimately it is their broken family that must be pieced together again. I wish I could say that the film is as moving as the book, but it lacks the urgency and drama of the novel. Richard Gere says that he aimed for a subtle characterization of Saul, and he certainly succeeds. Saul is equally likable and despicable, and Gere offers the most compelling performance in the movie. Unfortunately this same subtlety overtakes the whole movie, and the intensity is lost. Miriam's secret carries little weight compared to the bombshell dropped in the book, and the pressures experienced by the children seem watered down as well. While the finale of the novel hit me in the face like a paddle, the movie seems to be up a creek without one. |
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Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed Myla Goldberg's novel, Bee
Season, so naturally I was pleased as punch when I heard they were
making a film version with Richard Gere. For months my eyes were
peeled for the opening date, and then... nothing. It was like 