In Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s feature film debut, 20,000 Species of Bees, the Basque filmmaker shines a spotlight on the obstacles children often face in genuinely expressing themselves, and their identity crises affect the larger dynamics within our families.
Eight-year-old Coco, played by Sofía Otero in a Berlin silver bear winning performance, is confused about her identity. Born Aitor, a boy, she feels uncomfortable in her own body and uneasy with people’s misunderstanding and misperception of her. Yet, she has struggled to clearly articulate how she feels. Along with her mother Ane (Patricia López Arnaiz), a sculptor who is dealing with financial and marital problems of her own, they travel back to the Spanish Basque Country from France for summer break. Waiting for them is their family back home, including grandmother Lourdes (Ane Gaberain), who is a widowed beekeeper. What follows is a moving, affecting family drama, told with much compassion, tenderness and lyricism, as Coco’s family confronts her identity crisis with aloofness, dismissal and finally acceptance.
Arnaiz is able to show the different facets of her character’s determination and stubbornness, in a world where overcoming mundane and quotidian tasks and responsibility as a mother, a daughter and a woman can be difficult and stifling.
Otero is able to convey much of her character’s exasperation and perplexity with childlike wonder, an impressive feat for an actor of her age. As Coco transitions both in gender and in maturity, Otero is able to hold the disparate qualities of her character, amplified by her constantly fluctuating emotions characteristic of an eight-year-old, together cohesively and convincingly. As Ane, Patricia López Arnaiz’s performance is equally as noteworthy as Otero’s. Much of the film is dedicated to her concerns and frustrations, as she attempts repeatedly to connect with her daughter while braving the derision and disapproval from other family members, who either question her parenting or belittle her professional achievements. Arnaiz is able to show the different facets of her character’s determination and stubbornness, in a world where overcoming mundane and quotidian tasks and responsibility as a mother, a daughter and a woman can be difficult and stifling. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of the lush and verdant Basque countryside, its illuminating colours captured vividly by Gina Ferrer García’s cinematography. Occasionally, the film’s colour palette and reverence of nature remind viewers of Luca Guadagno’s Call Me by Your Name, also about gender, youth and sexuality. Yet, the sophistication of its plot, characters and emotions never really reach the heights of that film.
Nothing cinematically or narratively groundbreaking happens in this film, and perhaps 20,000 Species of Bees is not ultimately interested in pushing boundaries or profoundly challenging its viewers. That does not mean the treading of familiar paths can’t be told with warmth, affection and authenticity. Cinema succeeds when it effectively translates emotions off the screen and convinces the audience to feel for the characters and see ourselves in them. In that sense, Solaguren’s film is able to keep us engaged and moved, and sometimes, that’s all it needs to make it a worthy watch.
7.5/10
