Delayed Reaction: Spellbound

Premise: A documentary about 8 children competing for the Scripp's Spelling Bee.

 

I used to love watching the Spelling Bee on ESPN (and later ABC). That is compelling TV. It's literally all tension with one huge moment of release at the end. Every single time a kid steps up, they could be eliminated. There are no idols or protections. Everything is an elimination challenge. I love seeing the different strategies of the kids, be it re-emphasizing the pronunciation, checking countries of origin, or searching for roots. The simple fact that none of the kids are older than 8th graders means no one really has poise. They are overcome with nerves. Then there's the elimination. The ding of the bell is so perfect. It's soft yet shattering. I don't think there's a more subtly devastating elimination in any competition. Finally, these kids are genuinely impressive. I can't spell most of those words. I don't know how to figure out the spelling of a word I've never heard of with only a few hints. The only reason I stopped watching the Spelling Bee is because the hours for my job aren't conducive and it's not worth asking for time off.

 

Spellbound is a documentary I've wanted to see for years and have had a really hard time tracking down. It's not a revolutionary doc. It's just 8 short profiles of kids followed by tracking how they all do in the actual bee. They choose an excellent assortment of kids, from the smart kids in small or poorer communities who have no idea what they are getting into to the wealthier children whose parents are pretty overbearing about it. This movie does a great job showing how this isn't a competition that just anyone can win. There aren't spelling savants. Most of the finalists are the result of really overbearing parents and thousands of dollars of training. While this doesn't impact how engaging the actual competition is, it is a stark reminder of how difficult it is to overcome the disparities in the lives of the kids.

 

I think this will sort or come down to how much you care about the Scripps Spelling Bee, but I quite loved this movie.

 

Verdict: Strongly Recommend