Coming-of-age film is sugarcoated yet believable
Contributing Writer | October 30th, 2008
Touching acting balances clichéd dialogue in the recent film version of the best-selling novel, “The Secret Life of Bees,” so much so that it reminds viewers of the true damage that can occur while growing up under trying circumstances. The film follows a young girl searching for the truth about her mother as she seeks out answers in the places she least expected.
The film’s multilayered story line is evidence of the film’s history as a novel. The startling revelation in the first few minutes — that young southerner Lily Owens, portrayed by the talented and moving Dakota Fanning, accidentally killed her mother as a toddler — immediately establishes the main character’s tortured nature. It is typical for characters in emotionally charged coming-of-age films to have traumatic pasts. But Lily’s guilt and pain from the loss of her mother and the abuse of her father are presented with matter-of-fact palpability, rather than unnecessary gobs of misery traditionally used in tearjerker films to garner sympathy from the audience.
A great deal of the credit for the appealingly unpredictable nature of the film goes to the star-studded, supremely talented cast. Jennifer Hudson is moving as Rosaleen Daise, a worker on Lily’s father’s farm, and Queen Latifah is powerful as August Boatwright, one of the women who takes Lily in when she runs away. A veteran actress at only 14 years old, Fanning’s tender performance is balanced by the stubborn strength played by Hudson, still a Hollywood newcomer.
Oscar nominee Latifah exudes a tangible calm for most of the film, but her extreme sorrow during a horrific plot twist develops her character’s dimension. Her even delivery ensures the sentimental dialogue is easy to swallow. Fellow Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo makes the most of her small role as the overly sensitive May Boatwright. Her character’s hysterics are understandable rather than laughable.
The film’s true revelation is singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, in her third film role as the headstrong June Boatwright. Previously untested in dramatic fair, Keys’ June is a paradox. She treats her boyfriend Neil (Nate Parker) tenderly, yet coldly refuses to marry him. She devotedly prays with her sisters, yet does not always have faith in August’s decisions. Though the Boatwright sisters are much older in the novel, fans of the written work will not be disappointed by the quality of the performances.
The supporting cast delivers as well. British actor Paul Bettany is particularly effective and nearly unrecognizable as Lily’s angry and abusive father, T. Ray. Though Bettany has little screen time other than periodic, irrelevant scenes that throw off the film’s pace, the character is not one-dimensional. T. Ray has his own demons and pain that shed light on his questionable actions, making his decisions justifiable.
The film’s subtle style is like a golden layer of honey coating and sweetening the whole film. The southern locals are filmed under the guidance of writer and director Gina Prince-Bythewood and director of photography Rogier Stoffers, with strong attention to color and light. The sunlit scenes, full of colors that pop, like the Pepto-Bismol pink of the Boatwright house, appropriately showcase Lily’s increasing comfort in the Boatwright home.
Though “The Secret Life of Bees” features the occasionally sappy dialogue and pacing issues of similar feel-good films, there is much more to the film than that. In the capable hands of a talented cast, a strong guiding story and beautiful cinematography, the film makes for a heartwarming movie-going experience.
“The Secret Life of Bees” was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The film’s multilayered story line is evidence of the film’s history as a novel. The startling revelation in the first few minutes — that young southerner Lily Owens, portrayed by the talented and moving Dakota Fanning, accidentally killed her mother as a toddler — immediately establishes the main character’s tortured nature. It is typical for characters in emotionally charged coming-of-age films to have traumatic pasts. But Lily’s guilt and pain from the loss of her mother and the abuse of her father are presented with matter-of-fact palpability, rather than unnecessary gobs of misery traditionally used in tearjerker films to garner sympathy from the audience.
A great deal of the credit for the appealingly unpredictable nature of the film goes to the star-studded, supremely talented cast. Jennifer Hudson is moving as Rosaleen Daise, a worker on Lily’s father’s farm, and Queen Latifah is powerful as August Boatwright, one of the women who takes Lily in when she runs away. A veteran actress at only 14 years old, Fanning’s tender performance is balanced by the stubborn strength played by Hudson, still a Hollywood newcomer.
Oscar nominee Latifah exudes a tangible calm for most of the film, but her extreme sorrow during a horrific plot twist develops her character’s dimension. Her even delivery ensures the sentimental dialogue is easy to swallow. Fellow Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo makes the most of her small role as the overly sensitive May Boatwright. Her character’s hysterics are understandable rather than laughable.
The film’s true revelation is singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, in her third film role as the headstrong June Boatwright. Previously untested in dramatic fair, Keys’ June is a paradox. She treats her boyfriend Neil (Nate Parker) tenderly, yet coldly refuses to marry him. She devotedly prays with her sisters, yet does not always have faith in August’s decisions. Though the Boatwright sisters are much older in the novel, fans of the written work will not be disappointed by the quality of the performances.
The supporting cast delivers as well. British actor Paul Bettany is particularly effective and nearly unrecognizable as Lily’s angry and abusive father, T. Ray. Though Bettany has little screen time other than periodic, irrelevant scenes that throw off the film’s pace, the character is not one-dimensional. T. Ray has his own demons and pain that shed light on his questionable actions, making his decisions justifiable.
The film’s subtle style is like a golden layer of honey coating and sweetening the whole film. The southern locals are filmed under the guidance of writer and director Gina Prince-Bythewood and director of photography Rogier Stoffers, with strong attention to color and light. The sunlit scenes, full of colors that pop, like the Pepto-Bismol pink of the Boatwright house, appropriately showcase Lily’s increasing comfort in the Boatwright home.
Though “The Secret Life of Bees” features the occasionally sappy dialogue and pacing issues of similar feel-good films, there is much more to the film than that. In the capable hands of a talented cast, a strong guiding story and beautiful cinematography, the film makes for a heartwarming movie-going experience.
“The Secret Life of Bees” was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
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