Movie Review

Directed by Albert Berger, Regency Films, starring: Richard Gere (Saul), Juliet Binoche (Miriam ), Flora Cross (Eliza ), Max Mangella (Aaron), based on a novel by Mila Goldberg, 138 minutes, 2005.

In the beginning the Naumanns seem like an idyllic family; smart, talented, attractive. Saul teaches religion at a university in San Francisco, Miriam is a scientist, Aaron is a musician (he and his dad play string duets) and Eliza, though somewhat ignored by her father in the beginning, discovers that she has an amazing talent for spelling. The Bee Season refers to spelling bees. She goes from her local school, to a region, to state and finally the nationals in Washington, D.C. It is a very big deal. When Saul discovers this he becomes over invested in her success, not so much in winning a contest but in connecting her with Jewish Mysticism (letters themselves have divine power), his own area of expertise. Throughout the film the metaphor of a kaleidoscope is used both to hold up the mystery of creation itself and offer hope to this family when it gets in trouble.

Early on, Saul advances the notion that God is everything and creates a vessel that cannot contain all God's goodness and light. It shatters in a Big Bang of creation. Humanity's job is to gather these fragments and make our world whole again. So, one theme of the movie is that we lead fragmented lives and that we are not alone; we can make connections; we can make things whole again. In the movie this is articulated through the kabbalist concept of tikkun olam or 'fixing of the world'. Christians might articulate this through the theme of reconciliation.

The second theme is one of spiritual journey/spiritual quest. Aaron begins to explore outside his tradition and attends an R.C. Church but also meets a beautiful young woman who attracts him to a Hare Krishna temple and opens for him the realm of ecstatic religious experience. It is a very intense form of rebellion. The message is that the mystical tradition has power and if we are not prepared we could be in danger. Miriam, on the other hand, is tortured by ambiguous memories of childhood and embarks on a journey to make sense of it. Continuing the theme of shattered glass, she has been collecting strings of glass objects and fragments in an abandoned house. She ends up in a mental hospital and the family is itself shattered. Eliza feels responsible.

All of this happens, as Eliza is about to embark on her big final test in Washington. The Messiah or Christ Figure in the story makes a brief appearance as a cleaning lady in the hotel. Eliza is walking around late at night and the woman says that she better get back to bed before her mother comes looking for her. "She won't", says Eliza "I need to win first". "Don't be silly", says the cleaning lady, "Nobody's Mother needs her to win anything". Eliza learns the lesson and proves it on the final word in the contest.

The story contains deep reflections on mysticism (don't be afraid!) as well as a touching story of a family's search for wholeness.