Bee Season (2005)

A wife and mother begins a downward emotional spiral, as her husband avoids their collapsing marriage by immersing himself in his 11 year-old daughter's quest to become a spelling bee champion.

Directors:

Scott McGehee, David Siegel

Writers:

Myla Goldberg (novel), Naomi Foner (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Gere, Juliette Binoche, Flora Cross

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Gere	...	Saul
Juliette Binoche	...	Miriam
Flora Cross	...	Eliza
Max Minghella	...	Aaron
Kate Bosworth	...	Chali
Corey Fischer	...	National Spelling Bee Pronouncer
Sam Zuckerman	...	National Spelling Bee Judge
Joan Mankin	...	Ms. Bergermeyer
Piers Mackenzie	...	Dr. Morris
Lorri Holt	...	Ms. Rai
Brian Leonard	...	Mr. Julien
Jamal Thornes	...	Wiseacre Boy's Mate
Kathy McGraw	...	Regional Bee Pronouncer
John Evans	...	Regional Bee Judge
Alisha Mullally	...	Young Miriam

Storyline

11-year-old Eliza Naumann comes from an odd family; they all divert their emotional frustrations into secret channels. When Eliza unexpectedly begins winning spelling bees, what had been a stable dynamic within the family becomes disrupted; long held secrets emerge, and a latent spiritual yearning is awakened in her withdrawn father Saul and compulsive mother Miriam. As Eliza moves closer and closer to the national spelling bee, the Naumann family finds itself in a spiral of surprising discovery and jarring uncertainty...

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Plot Keywords:

spelling | secret | 11 year old | spelling bee | national spelling bee | 

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Taglines:

Words may define us, but it's love that connects us.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [br] 20th Century Fox [fr]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

17 November 2005 (Australia)

Also Known As:

La huella del silencio

Filming Locations:

1075 Mariposa Avenue, Berkeley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$46,927 (Brazil) (23 December 2005)

Gross:

$1,177,082 (USA) (27 January 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bee Season Productions Inc., Fox Searchlight Pictures, Bona Fide Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dakota Fanning was originally going to play Eliza, but directors thought that Flora Cross looked like Juliette Binoche and selected Cross instead.

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Goofs

The license plates on the family Volvo are different on the front and back. The front license plate starts with a "4", the rear license plate starts with a "5".

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Quotes

[first lines]
National Spelling Bee Pronouncer: Number 14. Eliza Naumann, Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California. "Oppidan".
Eliza: "Oppidan".
[sighs]
Eliza: [narrating] My father told me once that words and letters hold all the secrets of the universe. That in there shapes and sounds, I could find everything and see beyond myself, to something special. Perfect. My father told me once that I could reach the ear of God.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Episode #2.41 (2005)
Clips shown when this movie is reviewed.

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Soundtracks

"Hare Krishna Kirtan"
Traditional

User Reviews

E-l-i-z-a

If there is a novel that doesn't lend itself for cinematic adaptation, "Bee Season", written by Myla Goldberg, would seem to be the one. It doesn't help that the screen play, as written by the talented Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, doesn't help to clarify for the casual viewer what is going on with the Naumanns of Oakland. In fact, the problem in the novel, as well as with the movie is Miriam, the distant mother who has fled reality and lives in a world of her own.

"Bee Season" co-directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel feels empty because the somber treatment they have given to the movie. The dark cinematography of Giles Nuttgens doesn't help either, but the musical scores of Peter Nasher works well, as a whole.

One enters the Naumann world through the sensitive Eliza, a girl much older and wiser than her 11 years indicate. It is Eliza who senses all that is wrong with her family, as it appears they are falling apart in front of her, and as a little girl, she simply can't do anything at all to bring everyone together. As a way to escape the unhappy home, Eliza immerses herself in the spelling bee contests in which she excels. Not until then, does she get the attention of her father, who supports her newly found talent.

Saul, the religious studies professor, doesn't even come aware about what's wrong with his marriage until it's too late. In fact, he is a man appears to be unable to communicate with the illusive Miriam, a woman who is deeply disturbed by what happened in her own life with the tragedy of her parents death. Saul and Miriam's marriage is over, but they don't do anything to correct the situation. Miriam's problems come to a head when she is taken away and makes Saul confront the many issues that he probably never dealt with before.

Aaron, the older son, is rebelling against his own religion. He needs to experiment with other beliefs because he is at that stage of his life in which he is trying to find out who he is. That is why when he meets Chali, the young Hare Krishna follower, he decides to follow her in his quest for finding a guidance for his life.

The ensemble playing is dominated by the youngest cast member, Flora Cross, who makes a luminous Eliza. Her expressive eyes and her intelligence tells everything about her. Juliette Binoche's Miriam is a puzzle. Richard Gere does what he can with Saul and Max Minghella has some good moments as Aaron. Kate Bosworth is seen briefly as Chali.

"Bee Season" is a difficult film to sit through because it is a dark look into a family falling apart without a safety net. Also, the way the film has been promoted gives a false impression about its content.