Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Release Date: 23 October 2008

There are certain themes I am wary of in films. Those of black identity usually lead to emotional exploitation, while themes of feminism are usually dealt with in a patronising way. And yet, as I sat and watched The Secret Life of Bees, goose bumps appeared that still haven’t left me an hour later as I write this review. I was at times tickled, at times genuinely moved to tears, and I came out of the cinema feeling wholly inspired. All of this was for one reason - Queen Latifah. Perhaps not the first name that comes to mind when considering female screen legends, but in those short moments on screen she has surely secured herself an Academy Award.

The film itself tells the touching story of a little girl yearning to be loved, set against a backdrop of the fight for civil rights for black people in 1960’s America. She finds solace at a honey farm run by three powerful black sisters, each with their own personal problems and dilemmas, and as the film plays out they of course find comfort and solutions to these problems through each other. The film may be slightly saccharine at times; Coca-Cola seem to have paid a lot of money for a none-too-subtle placement in the film and you may suffer from that inescapable guilt associated with black civil rights films, but I the reviewer hereby challenge you to watch this film and say you weren’t touched by it.