The Secret Life of Bees (2008) +

A sweet parable of self-acceptance and of the potential for our ancestor's stories to both hold us back and to see us through. The basic scenario isn't that basic: Lily (Dakota Fanning in an entirely competent and occasionally excellent performance) is a white girl living somewhere in the south with a father who hates her (Paul Bettany doing a very nice job of a thankless villain-ish role) and a housekeeper named Rosaleen who likes her well enough (Jennifer Hudson acquitting herself very nicely in a challenging role). Lily's haunted by memories of contributing to her mother's early death, and struggles with the core belief that she might not be worthy of love. A set of circumstances occur that impel Lily to pull a Huck Finn, and hit the road with Rosaleen (who's suddenly a legal fugitive because of a streetfight with some white men who tried to stop her from registering to vote). For reasons beyond her understanding, Lily is following a call to go to a small town a ways away, the name of which she discovered on the back of a painting (of a black madonna and child) which had belonged to her dead mother. This journey brings Lily and Rosaleen to the home of August Boatwright (Queen Latifah, doing that beaming, big-hearted magnanimity thing she's always doing) and her two sisters, the thin-skinned May (Sophie Okenedo, absolutely electrifying and adorable) and the proud, cultivated June (Alicia Keyes, doing a very nice job with the role). The Boatwright sisters take the fugitives in and a great many lessons of the heart are learned. It's a sweet, spiritual story of woman-centric survival affirming the power of love to heal all wounds -- Fried Purple Ya-Ya of a tale (endorsed by Oprah) that hits every one of its genre mandated bases. But if you like such a thing, which I absolutely do, the film proves to be a real treat. I admired the range of solid performances, especially Okenedo, Hudson and Bettany. (Indeed, Paul Bettany joins Ralph Fiennes this year in delivering genuinely interesting portrayals of "bad man" cliche characters in pulpy genre pictures.) I also admired the clarity of the teen romance between Fanning's character and a young black man (the very charismatic Tristan Wilds). The relationship felt plausible, without the requisite plot device-iness that sometimes attends such obvious plot twists; it actually felt like an honest (and honestly stupid) teen attraction between these two appealing characters/performers. I'm also a complete sucker for the "dark mother" spiritual sub-theme, which this film uses in a really emotionally potent way. An effective entry into an easily mocked genre...which I happen to really love.