Review of SPELLBOUND

"I wouldn't imagine myself sitting on the edge of my seat. I wouldn't expect to find myself closing my eyes. And I definitely would never anticipate getting choked up. But I found myself doing all of these while watching a spelling bee. That is the power of Spellbound, a fascinating, engaging, heartfelt, and emotionally affecting documentary about the trials and tribulations, victories and defeats of eight grade school students as they journey the rocky road to the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Director Jeffrey Blitz has made a surprisingly suspenseful film that sharply observes the awkwardness of living as an intelligent adolescent in a society dedicated to the lowest common denominator. It presents flash photographs of these kids—all are smart, all are from different walks of life, all handle their social ostracism in their own way, and all want one thing. Their upbringings are the result of poverty or privilege, but they all have been raised to have a strong work ethic. All of them have worked hard to get to the place they're at, and as each of them is eliminated, we empathize completely. Their struggles are real, and their fates are too familiar."

Mark's Full Review