The Secret Life of Bees

Yesterday my wife and I went to see The Secret Life of Bees. This is not a movie that I would expect to like. It is the story about a young white girl in the mid-1960s South Carolina who runs away from her abusive father and encounters a black family (of women who are all named for months of the year) that runs a honey business. The book is a little about the south of the time and a little about relationships and a little about finding one's identity.

But what makes the movie compelling are the performances. Queen Latifah is an accomplished actress. In this role she brings quiet self confidence. Dakota Fanning is also pretty good as the young girl. But what also makes the movie worth seeing is the ensemble for the rest of the cast. Each, from Fanning's friend, who is a black housekeeper who Lily pries from a jail cell; to the two daughters of August (Queen Latifah's character), to the lesser characters fit together quite well.

Like To Kill a Mockingbird, most of the characters in this story are not all well developed. I think that is especially true for the males and for most of the white characters. But even with that flaw, the movie is worth seeing.