Once I Was a Beehive

I can't stop thinking about this film and all the individual talent that came together to make it. Maclain Nelson writes and directs an eloquent script that guides audiences through the delicate subject of death and adolescence, with an excellent pulse on todays young culture. Joel Remke's cinematography stands out, as his work holds the best of a feature and an indie film's attributes; be that his choice in dolly shots, playful angles, organic zooms and movements. There are scenes of Utah that are forever forged into my mind, thanks to this cinematography. Composer Michael Lee Bishop and the sound department brought their many talents to this film. This heartfelt journey was smartly orchestrated by editor Kristi Shimek. Her comical cuts and emotional rhythm to the film where refreshing, and made all the difference. There was a scene in which the audience was quietly crying and while Paris Warner's performance was lovely, it was clearly Shimek's editing that held the audience in tears. Mary Pickford is quoted for saying, "Make them laugh, make them cry, and back to laughter. What do people want to go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise." As far as acting goes, actress Paris Warner is a natural. Whatever she is doing, keep with it, because her tender and raw performance has a way of pulling you in, scene after scene. Such a talented cast, I wish there were more time to show off the campers's personalities. Actresses Kaley McCormack Allie Jennings have a bright comical future ahead of them.

The main character is really judgemental and all of the other actors are very vapid people who don't get better. I went to girls camp for six years and we were very willing to help clean up and do what we needed in order to make it a pleasant experience. any person with half a brain would put effort in doing a good job in building a tent because that is where you will live for the next five days. I grew up in the church but it defiantly didn't mean my life was easy and that I was clueless about the world around me. I had a lot of friends who were not of my faith including some who went with us to girls camp and we always worked to help them feel included and loved. so basically this movie stereotypes teen girls in the worst way possible without bothering to improve them by the end so you leave the movie with a sour taste in your mouth. All of the adults are rude and judgemental and don't even try to help the girls. In real life the adults would be taking time off of work and using vacation days to go to girl's camp. It's a real sacrifice for them. Why try to make a movie about something you clearly know nothing about? Many teen girls who saw the movie after even said it's not even close to that in real life.

I came across this movie on Netflix. It was really good, and really other than the 'Young Women" reference, it took me a while to realize it was Mormon. It seemed to be just strictly Bible - It's a really good movie to show how girls interact and that even grownups lose their tempers and have the same identity issues. We're all just on a journey. My only one "complaint".. they should have done a bit more research on service animals verses emotional support animals and where they are allowed. Although, Roxie is adorable and helps calm Phoebe - she cannot be called a service animal. She is not trained to do work or a task! She simply calms Phoebe by being near her. An animal that calms just by their presence is an Emotional Support animal and is NOT allowed anywhere the person goes. A service animal is NOT a pet and other people would not be petting her. I only bring it up because it is a huge issue now and this movie is just adding to that confusion.

I really enjoyed this film. Sometimes (seemingly) overtly religious films pander to their audiences to make a buck at the box office. Especially if they appear to appeal to the "teenager" demographic. BEEHIVE is not one of these films.

BEEHIVE dispels many Mormon myths head on, and in the wake of this transformation leaves you both laughing and crying. I appreciated that very much.

But what I enjoyed most about this film is there was no "happily ever after." Not everyone was converted. Hardship still existed. All the story plots did not resolve into a nice, trite ending.

However, you knew that the characters changed--that they were better people for what they had experienced, and they were now better equipped to go through other challenges in life. They had the ability to live with uncertainty, keep a smile on their faces, and move forward. For me, that was the hidden redemptive power in this film, and that is one of the biggest reasons I highly recommend it!

I went with my 14 and 17 year old daughters, who, by the way, had just returned from camp. We all laughed and laughed. Not sure if guys will find the movie as funny because there are so many inside jokes related to the LDS girls' camp experience. The script includes inserting all the stereotypical personalities in a group of teen girls without being too cheesy. I felt like they captured the real dynamic of a disjointed youth group. The actors were all well chosen. Favorite line "And it's not true that there are no 'mean girls' in Young Women." What I liked the most about the movie was that the ending wasn't perfect. It didn't neatly try to solve the problem and wrap it up with a bow. I felt like the script handled the issues very realistically.