By Cal
Link: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/the-bee-eaters/id1548549255
Available until: Rent for 48 hours or buy
Age rating: 15
Content warning: Mentions of grooming, a rather upsetting death, violence
Bee-eaters are brightly-coloured birds related to kingfishers. The ones that (occasionally) visit the UK are red, green, yellow, blue and brown. No bee-eaters actually appear in this film, but there are characters who hope to see bee-eaters and they do become symbolic. There are a lot of things in this play which are possible but most likely just out of reach.
The Bee-eaters is absolutely beautiful to watch. Although there are no bee-eaters, there are lots of animals. A farm features in the story and we get to see horses, sheep and cows. There are also really lovely shots of the countryside and they always seem a part of the story and not something random in the middle. K. T. Bird’s direction is excellent throughout, not just giving us beautiful images but showing us so much about a person in just a few seconds of screen time; with the smallest movement.
It’s also wonderful musically. One of the characters is a singer who is in a choral group with two other girls. Their music is really beautiful to listen to and it’s so nice to see something like that included in a film which is about, and to an extent for, young people. There are so many things to be enjoyed in the world. There isn’t time to enjoy all of them, but there also isn’t time to reject something you like in favour of trying to like what everyone else is into.
The Bee-eaters has a lot in it and every storyline is great. There’s a boy who sees a man as a father figure. A girl who falls in love with an older boy. A group of bullies. A protective mother who loves her child so much. A father who really doesn’t know quite what to say. As well as directing (and producing and appearing as an actor) K. T. Bird wrote the script and has created some genuinely moving scenes and situations, each one beautifully-crafted and meaningful.
I do think these ideas could have been taken further. Ideas come up and they’re really strong, but often they drift away again without ever being fully-resolved. In some ways, it’s similar to real life because some things that seem really big and important do fizzle out, but with a film, it is often more satisfying to see a storyline being brought to some sort of conclusion rather than leaving everything open-ended. But it didn’t frustrate me or make the film less enjoyable – I just wanted to know why and how things happened and what happened next!
Perhaps the most important storyline is the one where a central character, Peter, is accused of grooming a little girl. We see what leads to the accusation. We see it coming and it’s horrible because he isn’t grooming her. But the film makes an important point. Quite rightly, schools, parents and other authority figures are teaching their children what is and isn’t acceptable from older people (or even people their own age) and what the correct response should be – but it’s far less common to hear of someone being taught what to do if a child tries to put you in a compromising position. Children do it innocently without full understanding of what they’re doing and where it could lead, but they can be persistent and I don’t think all adults would instinctively know the best way to deal with the situation. Peter’s response comes from a place of kindness and a desire not to cause hurt, but it’s still not the correct response. A bit of advice and guidance that’s given to all young people might really have helped. We need to punish the predators and ensure they don’t go near children again, but we don’t want to ruin the lives of people who meant no harm and had no thoughts other than how to avoid hurting the feelings of a vulnerable nine year old girl.
Matthew Gordon is excellent as Peter. He’s not the chattiest character, but Matthew expresses his emotions brilliantly through his reactions to what happens around him. Robin Hooper is intriguing as Billy, a genuinely lovely old man, and it was a shame not to learn more of his story. Young newcomer Lily Edge shows Amy’s vulnerability and need for love brilliantly. K. T. Bird is suitably alarming as the thuggish Col. It’s been quite difficult to match the actors up to their characters, but I think it must be Stella Tähtinen who plays the stunning-voiced and very kind singer.
A beautifully-filmed and thought-provoking film.
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