SPELLBOUND (2002) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Jeffrey Blitz
 
 
 
"If there is always one general lesson to be learned from documentaries is that it’s most important to be able to pick the right and interesting subjects. Sometimes, these subjects may even lie in the most common of places. Like, did you know that in the US word spelling can be considered a sport and its national final broadcast on national TV? Well, in Spellbound, Blitz follows a group of kids making their way to the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. The film is structurally essentially divided into two parts, one shows the journey that the kids undertake to qualify for the final and the other follows the final itself. It does so in a way that is well paced and engaging, also because of the subjects that Blitz, all different but interesting in their own original ways. By using this particular argument, the filmmaker also makes interesting observations on a class of children on American soil and their culture. And this examination too comes across as very interesting but also legitimately fun."
 
 
Documentary, USA