Tell It to the Bees

Greetings again from the darkness. Secrets and lies become a tangled web of messiness that impacts lives and relationships in this story adapted from Fiona Shaw's 2009 novel. Annabel Jankel (known for her music videos and as a creator of Max Headroom) directs the script from sisters Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth, and we learn that this rural community in 1952 Scotland is filled with judgmental and close-minded folks unable to accept that some don't live and love according to society's general rules of the time.

Holliday Grainger ("The Borgias") stars as Lydia, mother to young Charlie (Gregor Selkirk), and the two have recently been abandoned by husband -father Robert (Emun Elliott). Charlie is a sensitive boy - in touch with nature, and observant to his mother's emotional strains. After a schoolyard scuffle, Charlie is treated by the town's new doctor, Dr. Markham (Anna Paquin, "True Blood"), who not only treats his bruises, but also teaches him about the bees and hives in her garden. She lets him know that telling your secrets to the bees keeps them from flying away.

Dr. Markham has returned to the community where she grew up, and the rumors of her teenage years have not faded. Her father recently passed and she has returned to her roots to take his place as the local doctor. When Lydia gets sacked at the factory where she works (by Kate Dickie's Pam, her spinster sister-in-law/supervisor), Dr. Markham hires Lydia as a housekeeper and invites her and Charlie to move into the house left to her by her father.

"This town is too small for secrets" is not simply a line of dialogue, but easily could have been the title of the films. As Charlie tells his secrets to the bees, Lydia and Dr. Markham grow closer ... creating confusion for Charlie, challenges for the two women, and disgust within the community. Robert is a brut of a man, and threatens Lydia in every way a simple man might. There is also a subplot around Lydia's younger sister-in-law Annie (Lauren Lyle), who is pregnant from a secretive interracial relationship. What follows is a vicious response from the close-minded folks previously mentioned.

An older Charlie is our narrator, and most of the story is told from his point of view. Secrets kept by children are contrasted by those of adults, and it's clear that both cause harm. The first part of the movie is beautifully filmed, though the story structure wobbles a bit in the second half. There are many fascinating close-ups of bees and hives, although a mystical/supernatural sequence is difficult to buy. Excellent acting is on display throughout, especially by young Gregor Selkirk and Ms. Grainger, whose face the camera loves. The film is quite tastefully done, and focused as much on the small-minded town folks reaction as the blossoming relationship between the two leads. A stronger third act would have elevated the film, though the first half hour is well done.

I'm a Conservative, Straight guy, but this movie tugged hard at my heartstrings. The acting of the three principal players was exceptional throughout the entire film. The storyline was completely believable and powerful. I don't want to say too much about the plot, but I really emphasized with the players. The love shown was real and palpable. That is significant.

Tell it to the Bees plays like a grittier Scottish version of "Carol".

It's 1952 ("Carol" was also set in 1952, but in New York). Many married men have come back from the war forever changed. Life is financially tough for most families. In particular, attitudes to multi-racial relationships and (particularly) homosexuality are appalling, and never more so than in the small Scottish mill town where the film is set.

Holliday Grainger plays Lydia, separating from her rough and ready war-veteren husband Robert (Emun Elliott). This is all really hard for 7-year old Charlie (Gregor Selkirk) who without sexual guidance from either parent or school is trying to make sense of his world. Charlie is a sensitive child and finds solace by talking to the bees kept by local doctor Jean Markham (Anna Paquin) where she lives alone in the large family home. "You should tell the bees your secrets. Then they won't fly away." Jean tells the young lad.

As Lydia's circumstances change, she and Jean grow ever closer and scandal is set to envelope the community.

The story comes from a book by Fiona Shaw (the the action moved from Yorkshire to Scotland) and the screenplay is by Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth. Just as in "Carol" the film deliciously builds (if that's not too lascivious a thing to say) the sexual tension that grows between the two women.

But aside from this main love story there are some beautifully crafted sub-stories in there. One in particular, featuring Lydia's cousin Annie Stock (Lauren Lyle) leads to a truly nightmarish scene that will upset some viewers.

An issue I personally found with the Scottish setting is that (like "Under the Skin") much of a dialogue is delivered in a very strong regional accent. This made understanding the dialogue for non-Scots very difficult: I had a particular problem with Emun Elliott in this regard. (Sorry if this comment upsets any Scots reading this: it's just a statement of fact!).

Anna Paquin holds the current record for the youngest-ever Oscar winner ("Best Supporting Actress" in 1993 for "The Piano"), but here proves she hasn' t lost her touch. Because, here she is both determined and vulnerable in equal measure and acts this out brilliantly. Paired with the free-spirited Holliday Grainger they make for a powerhouse performance together, and the sex scene (when it comes) is wonderfully realised: genuinely sensual, but in more of a 50's way than for similar scenes in films like "Desert Hearts" or "Blue is the Warmest Colour".

A late scene on a railway platform - although somewhat clichéd - is an acting masterclass, and memorably done.

Also noteworthy is young Gregor Selkirk in what is his 2nd feature film role. Many of the scenes live or die on this young man, and he does a great job.

This is a small but beautifully crafted film that kept me enthralled. I'm not sure it necessarily needed the bees (some beautiful macro photography by Bartosz Nalazek) but as a simple tale of prejudice in a small community it was well told and delivered the goods.

I really enjoyed this film... so it comes with my recommendation. "Pride" made you appreciate just how far tolerance has come in the UK in 30 years. But "Tell it to the Bees" illustrates that the 80's were just a step along a journey that started long before that.

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This is not so much a love story about a "forbidden" love, but it is also about a child who slowly discovers how things work in the adult world.

This film has a slow start (after about 30 minutes the pace picks up), but my patience is well rewarded at the end. An ending that raises some questions. Yet I didn't feel it had a very strange ending. Only after talking to someone about it for half an hour did I find out why the ending felt good to me. So does the aforementioned quote get a completely different meaning in the end. I think the filmmakers intended to make a film that makes you think.

The acting is very good. Especially Gregor Selkirk, who plays the son, is excellent. I have seen few young actors acting so convincingly and realistically. I had to get used to Anna Paquin, who plays Dr. Jean Markham, because she reminded me a bit of BBC Kate Bliss (Bargain Hunt, Flog it !, Put your money where your mouth is). If you would say that Kate Bliss and Anna Paquin were sisters, I would believe it. I had to suppress a chuckle when Jean said she didn't have any teaspoons. Kate Bliss being the silver expert. I think I have seen Steven Robertson before in the detective series "Shetland" and I had wondered if his accent was realistic. In this film the Scottish accent feels to me more realistic than the one he had in "Shetland". (But I'm not Scottish so it's just a feeling of someone who's second language is English).

Apart from a scene with too many bees (which looks almost surreal), I think this is an excellent film.

The director draws excellent performances from the two female leads (playing Lydia and Dr Jean) and also from the very capable supporting cast. The cinematography and production design capture the ambience and restrictive social mores of the "small" 1950s Scottish mill town quite convincingly. The story is less convincing about the symbolism of the bees (which is presumably derived from the book). We see too many random extreme close-ups of bees, Lydia's son Charlie sharing his secrets with the bees in their hives, and in the last 20 minutes of the movie, an incident which implies that the bees have developed some sort of preternatural relationship with the boy. This latter aspect, particularly, seems rather incongruous with the otherwise quite adult themed lesbian romance story. It strikes me as a movie primarily to be enjoyed for its great character acting.