Go Rent It
Tonight after IVCF I watched Spellbound with Kirsten and Ruthie. It was so good! Probably the best documentary I've ever seen. It follows the stories of 8 kids going to the 1999 National Spelling Bee in D.C. Some of the kids were from unusual backgrounds--one girl's parents illegal came over from Mexico with her family, holding her above the water as the coyote lead the way across the Rio Grande, and after 20 years her father still does not speak english--and others were the super studius, multiple tutor type kids from rich families.
They film hit on lots of emotions. The way that they edited the scenes together was excellent with the funny little quirks that the people had and the background disturbances. I laughed outloud so much during the movie (which I usually don't do). I held my breath as the kids spelled out words slowly into the microphone, I squirmed in my doc chair under the stress that they were under, I squealed when they guessed and correctly spelled the word. I was so proud of their performances I even cried (slightly) at the end. It brought out the inner geek in me. I can see these kids coming to the UofC in a few years and it makes me laugh.