Our afternoon at The Angelika was lovely this week. We were lost in a cinematic paradise for 2 hours as we watched The Secret Life of Bees. It was a story that captivated our emotions from the first scene – we stayed that way until the end - when it was over we were thoroughly spent.
Dakota Fanning’s performance is Oscar-worthy. She is growing into a beautiful, gifted actress. We felt she was expertly cast as Lily Owens a troubled runaway looking for answers that will satisfy her curiosity about her past. It is set in South Carolina during the mid 60’s civil rights movement. Also notable, was Jennifer Hudson’s outstanding accomplishment as Lily’s nanny Rosaleen Daise. Their beautiful friendship was believable and deep.
Queen Latifah plays the loveable matriarch – Miss August, who nurtures Lily until she is strong enough to believe in her own goodness. As the head of the family honey making business, she is the “Queen Bee” overseeing the care of the family. Alicia Keyes plays her sister June and is obviously both a gifted musician as well as actress.
As an adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s book, it was well done; choosing to focus on parts integral to the overall story without missing details that made it special. Those who have read the book will not be disappointed.
We rated this film 4 out of 5.
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