Anne and I went to see the movie, The Secret Life of Bees, on Saturday.  The following is the IMDB synopsis:

Set in South Carolina in 1964, it’s the tale of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning), a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father (Paul Bettany), Lily flees with Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by the intelligent and independent Boatwright sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo), Lily finds solace in their mesmerizing world of beekeeping, honey and the Black Madonna.

The movie rocked!  Fanning who is fourteen this year shows all signs of becoming a great actress.  Queen Latifah of course sucked up all the oxygen in the room.  Jennifer Hudson put in another solid performance.  Alicia Keys was surprisingly good.

1964 marked the passage of the Civil Rights Act.  As the movie shows the south and South Carolina in particular was a dangerous land to advocate equal rights.  Viewed through a prism, the 44 years between 1964 to 2008, show a spectrum of race relations in this country.  The Secret Life of Bees, shows how it was and how it should be.  With The Secret Life of Bees, we glimpse the shoulders of the giants on whom we all now stand.

After the movie, Anne and I went out for dinner at Apple-BEES.