The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
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A young girl flees her abusive father to find her mother's past with the help of a kind beekeeper and her sisters.
The story
In 1964, Lily Owens lives on a South Carolina peach orchard with her abusive, widowed father, T. Ray. After a series of events involving her father's harsh treatment and a desire to learn about her mother's past, Lily flees with her father's Black hired help, Rosaleen. The two travel to Tiburon, where they seek refuge with August Boatwright, a successful beekeeper, and her sisters. Lily becomes an apprentice beekeeper, seeking answers about her mother while navigating the complexities of the Boatwright household and the surrounding community during a period of significant social change.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1964, Lily Owens lives on a South Carolina peach orchard with her abusive, widowed father T. Ray. Ten years earlier, Lily had accidentally shot her mother, Deborah, who was trying to leave T. Ray. On Lily's 14th birthday, she celebrates the Civil Rights Act with her father’s Black hired help, Rosaleen. After being punished by T. Ray for sneaking into the orchard, Lily and Rosaleen flee to Tiburon. They find refuge with August Boatwright, a beekeeper, and her sisters, May and June. Lily becomes an apprentice beekeeper and learns about August’s leadership of a prayer group. Lily grows close to Zach, August's assistant. When Zach is kidnapped by a group of townspeople for breaking segregation rules, May drowns herself in grief but predicts Zach will be returned. Zach is indeed returned. Following May's funeral, Lily suffers a breakdown, feeling unloved. August reveals that she had known Lily's mother and sheltered her from T. Ray's abuse. T. Ray eventually finds them; Lily confronts him about her mother, and he admits he lied about her return. He leaves Lily to be raised by the Boatwrights.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Writers
- Gina Prince-Bythewood · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Queen Latifah · August Boatwright; Dakota Fanning · Lily Owens; Jennifer Hudson · Rosaleen "July" Boatwright-Daise; Alicia Keys · June Boatwright; Sophie Okonedo · May Boatwright; Paul Bettany · T. Ray Owens; Hilarie Burton · Deborah Owens; Tristan Wilds · Zach Taylor
- Genres
- drama; coming-of-age
- Themes
- domestic violence; race and ethnicity; sisterhood; child abuse; bullying; dysfunctional families
- Tone and mood
- sentimental; maudlin; sticky-sweet; enchanting
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; drama; African-American; beekeeping
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2001 novel by Sue Monk Kidd
- Content notes
- domestic violence; child abuse; bullying
- Reception
- The film received varied reviews, with critics praising its faithfulness to the source material and performances but criticizing its sentimental tone. It was a moderate financial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · review count: 139; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 32; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- Early in development, David Gordon Green was set to direct.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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