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Follow eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee
Running time: 97 minutes
Starring: Harry Altman, Angela Arenivar, Ted Brigham
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Synopsis: In America, the National Spelling Bee is something of an institution: a nationwide contest for children aged 8-14 to find the student with the best spelling skills in the country.
Jeffrey Blitz's award-winning documentary follows eight regional winners in the 1999 competition as they descend upon Washington DC for the televised final. Blitz's subjects are sweet, endearing, eccentric and scarily obsessed with the task at hand.
Spellbound is an electrifying snapshot of remarkable youngsters who are, on the whole, regarded as misfits by their classmates, but find camaraderie and friendship through their participation in the Bee.
What the critics say
Empire: "A unique, fascinating look at an America we rarely see."
Heat: "Funny, astounding and genuinely affecting."
FilmFour: "A documentary about competitive spelling might not sound especially appealing but this is a remarkable film. That's 'remarkable': r-e-m..."
Damon Smith, Press Association: "S-u-p-e-r-b. B-r-i-l-l-i-a-n-t. U-n-m-i-s-s-a-b-l-e."
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: "These spellers define something unique about the American character. By the time they're onstage, your pulse is pounding right along with theirs."
Jamie Russell, BBCi: "From this side of the Atlantic it looks like yet more proof that the Land of the Free really doesn't know the meaning of irony."
