Spellbound

Directed by Jeff Blitz

In a spell-checker world, only in the U.S. could you find on a nation-wide sports channel broadcasting a once-a-year tournament that consists of adolescents from across the states battling against each other to be the nation’s top speller. Full of unexpected humour and poignancy, the addictive documentary SPELLBOUND follows eight of the finalists at the National Spelling Bee, focusing on their lives to explore issues of immigration, race, class, social environment, parenting (you’ll want to kill some of them), and education in contemporary America. Don’t be surprised to find yourself cheering your favourites on as they tackle the mega-syllabic words in a bid for glory. Nominated for 2002 Best Documentary Oscar. “Spell this movie g-r-e-a-t.” Rolling Stone

Duration:
97 minutes

Country of origin:
USA

Year of production:
2001