Matthew McConaughey and Angelina LookingGlass shine in The Rivals of Amziah King, Andrew Patterson's beautifully told sophomore effort about family, community, and the cutthroat honey business.
Over seven years ago, a film from a new filmmaker, Andrew Patterson, premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles, California. The movie was called The Vast of Night and dealt with UFOs in New Mexico in the 1950s. It was picked up by Amazon Studios and suddenly Patterson found himself getting offers from major Hollywood studios to develop and direct movies for them. After thinking about it, Patterson turned them down and instead started working on his next independent project. Almost eight years later, Black Bear Studios is distributing The Rivals of Amziah King to theaters nationwide. But is Patterson's sophomore effort as good as his debut film? The answer is a resounding yes!
Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey; Dallas Buyers Club) is a 50-something bee farmer who lives in rural Oklahoma. Stopping at a nearby diner one day, he runs into his former foster daughter, Kateri (newcomer Angelina LookingGlass), and offers to give her a job helping with the honey harvest and teaching her the honey business, which happens to be cutthroat. As Kateri lives with Amziah, she learns about bees and honey, community, and bluegrass music. But when Amziah's bee colonies are stolen, it becomes too much for him and suddenly Kateri becomes an amateur detective to find out who is behind the theft, get the bees back, and rebuild Amziah's honey business.
Patterson, who writes under the pseudonym James Montague, has a way with storytelling that pulls the audience in and doesn't let go for the two-plus-hour running time. His dialogue is enticing, especially as it is being delivered by the melodic tone of McConaughey's voice. As King describes the three factions of a beehive, you can't help but be lulled into an almost trance-like state, with his soft-spoken delivery reminding one of a gentle wave lapping against the side of a boat moored at the edge of a riverbank.
McConaughey may have been born to portray Amziah, who is a laid-back, hardworking man who values the fundamental ideals in life...work hard, play hard, and be nice to others, but don't let them mistake your silence for weakness. LookingGlass is a diamond in the rough who gives Kateri a fire behind her eyes while being cautious of everyone and everything due to her upbringing in the foster care system. The supporting cast is memorable as well, giving the film an ensemble that truly feels like a small-town community taking on the big bad wolf, played by Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight).
Patterson's visuals are stunning and meaningful as we see the world through Amziah's and Kateri's eyes. The scene where Amziah teaches Kateri about the queen and the rest of the hive by holding the queen and letting the rest of the bees swarm on his arm, only to let them all go in one swing of his arm, is incredible. The swarm in the school closet is a different type of visual, more creepy while being no less hypnotic.
The only criticism I could offer with The Rivals of Amziah King is that it feels like two separate films. The first half is joyous, humorous, and serene, while the latter half is somber and angry. It is as if there are two different worlds. The first includes Amziah, his infectious nature, his music, and his bees, and the second has a heaviness without Amziah, the songs, and the hive.
Patterson stayed true to himself and his art form by passing on the enticement of a big-budget movie with a major studio and, luckily, his gamble paid off. Having a hit first film is a blessing, but managing to do it once again with one's sophomore effort is harder to pull off. Patterson does so beautifully, proving that he is a filmmaker to watch for years to come.
Grade: A-
