The documentary follows eight youngsters on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary. In 2007, it was included as #4 of the "IDA's Top 25 Documentaries" of all-time by the members of the International Documentary Association. Current TV placed this film among their list of 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die.
It was very interesting to watch this throwback to America pre-9/11, watching these children growing up in a time when nerds and nerd culture was even more stigmatized than it is today, now it's much more accepted. It's not just a doc merely about a spelling bee, it also touches on things like the American Dream and social class.
I could've just as easily flaired this post with "recommendation", if you haven't seen this film before it's really worth watching. It's compelling and even suspenseful at times. I don't know if it's just my circle but it seems like not too many people talk about the film these days, but it was certainly influential especially in its specific sub-genre. People who have watched and remember it, what do you think about it, and how times have changed or not changed since?
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/11xrqw7/you_guys_remember_the_2002_documentary_spellbound/
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