00s Movie Review - The Secret Life of Bees

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany, Hilarie Burton

Description: In 1964, a teenage girl (Dakota Fanning) in search of the truth about her mother runs away to a small town in South Carolina and finds a family of independent women who can connect her to her past.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 36: A MOVIE WITH A MAINLY FEMALE CAST
 
Review: In “The Secret Life of Bees” we follow teenager Lily, who lives with her abusive father after her mother died. The only good thing in her life is housekeeper Rosaleen, who has to deal with her own fair share of abuse, given she is a black woman who wants to register to vote in 1960s Southern US. When Rosaleen ends up in the hospital after being beat up, Lily helps her and they both run away.
They end up in Tilburon, the town name she find in one of her mother’s belongings. She also found the label of a honey jar, which brings Lily and Rosaleen to August. She is a beekeeper who lives together with her sisters May and June. August welcomes both with open arms and they van stay with her for as long as they need.
The story share many events with us. Like Lily’s personal quest to come to terms with herself and to find out more about her mother. But also the issues like developments in the race issue.
Dakota Fanning plays Lily and does that very well. She is one of those child actors that we still here of frequently, which is good, because Fanning is a very talented actress. She is surrounded by a strong cast: Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Paul Bettany, Sophie Okonedo and Hilarie Burton. There is no weak link, but most of the praise goes to Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo.
What we see in “The Secret Life of Bees” is not completely credible. The Boatwright sisters’ home seems like a paradise in race-born hotbed America. This makes the movie less realistic. The colorful, warm cinematography and matching music also contribute to that magical, dreamlike setting. But believability or reality is not what this is about. “The Secret Life of Bees” is above all an enchanting story about hope and love in difficult times.

Rating: 3,5 / 5