"Gina Prince Bythewood-"The Secret Life of Bee's"

Gina Prince Bythewood's adaptation to the novel "The Secret Life of Bees's" by Sue Monk Kidd is a screenplay that takes place in the 1960's in the south where racism is still prevalent. Lily Allen a 14 year old girl who leaves home in search for redemption, healing and acceptance (Dakota Fanning) is taken in by the Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo).

Bythewood's adaptation as director/writer/auteur goes beyond the stereotypes of the African American portrayal of black women in film. (Im sure Bell Hook's didn't stay up all night writing in a rage) Bythewood doesn't strive to portray an overly political message and instead focuses on creating a story that is deep, heartfelt and moving. The interplay between the maternal Queen Bee-August (Queen Latifah) and "worker bee" Fanning shows a mother figure-daughter relationship that was void in Allen's life. The story isn't about black women taking care of a white girl in the 1960's but is instead of the growth of people as individuals bound by tolerance and acceptance.

Because Bythewood writ and directed this film she had control of the way things were seen and how they were felt. The film opposes the typical examples of women in general. The Boatwright sisters manufacture and sell honey contained in bottles labeled with an image of a black virgin. Also in the film the house that the sisters lived in was pink. A pink home can symbolize the womb of which the protagonist is reborn. It also shows that women can live alone and take care of themselves; when in film have you seen a family that is run by women, without the portrayal of a man as head of household. Bythewood also chose to show some raw and graphic scenes about the harsh realities of the times. She included threats of lynching, a domestic violence scene, and a suicide. I think she chose to include these scenes not just because they showed how life was but also because she's a woman and shes proving to her audience (and critics perhaps) that just because she's a woman doesn't mean she's obliged to make "dainty" or "womanly" films. It goes to show that shes in control of what we see which correlates perfectly with the auteur theory. Bythewood's creative vision is expressed in the dialogue in which the movie is formatted.

"The Secret Life of Bee's" had tremendous feedback. Many women and men took the movie whether they read the book or not. The thing that attracted people to the film was "love". Even in saddening times love heals the soul and the heart. The audience was also satisfied that the characters weren't stereotyped because of the oppression. The movie was not a paradigm of the civil rights era and the black women being a victim of it. The Boatwright sisters triumph in dealing with daily adversities helped to perpetuate the human aspect of the film. Even with the constant threat of violence, these women carried on with their lives, worked their jobs, and raised their children. On the flip-side some critics and people have labeled this movie a waste of time. Their criticisms revolve around the acting prowess of Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. They felt that the role was to large for them and that they were "over-emoting" to say the least. Some people also complained that puns relating to bee's and honey were dry.

I think that the critics were just uncomfortable that they weren't seeing the norm. This film fell into the "not A" category in critics eyes, because the central characters were female and black. Also we have to look at the critics themselves because they fall into the "A" category; male and white. No wonder they felt uncomfortable while watching this movie. Critic's often detract from the viewing experience by over analyzing instead of watching like a true regular movie goer would. They miss the empathy and emotion of the film and instead focus on the technical aspects of film. Nonetheless this film directed and executively produced by two black women is a step in and of itself. Released in 2008 this is not just women in film, but women IN film.

http://www.sistersincinema.com/filmmakers/index.html (Link to AA female directors)