Some of the best movies I have seen were as a result of my wife taking me on a “blind movie date.” I went to see The Rivals of Amziah King yesterday without knowing anything about the movie or even its title. She walked me into the theater with my eyes closed. And I am glad, because if I had read the description, I would likely have passed. But then, here I am giving it 4 out of 4 stars. It was one of the best movie experiences I have had in a long time.
My choice of words is purposeful. I didn’t call it “one of the best movies,” I called it “one of the best movie experiences” because this movie is not something you watch, but you feel!
Before I go and explain my thinking (or feeling for that matter), let me talk about the substance of the movie, as always, without any spoilers. Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) is a bee farmer and bee expert somewhere in Oklahoma. He cultivates hives and sells honey. There are bad actors who steal and resell bees and honey, making life difficult for Amziah and all other honest people. It’s a crime thriller. But Amziah is not just a bee man, he is a former foster parent who always wants to the the right and good thing. And he is a bluegrass musician. That’s all I will tell you about the content of the movie.
The music is absolutely captivating, and stunning cinematography and storytelling accompanies the soundtrack, or so it feels. The images don’t always just flow like in a movie, sometimes they stay still, sometimes time rolls in parallel between two scenes playing at the same time behind the same song. It’s a comedy, with sometimes shocking surprises. It’s a masterpiece of a painting of a nostalgic yet rough and tumble southern life. Sometimes it feels like a long music video, like you are at a concert and you see images of the musicians doing stuff, like in the old days of MTV, although you didn’t usually see the musicians get overed by bees.
I think there’ll be some Oscars coming from this. Matthew McConaughey delivers a phenomenal performance. Watching The Rivals of Amziah King is a truly amazing cinematic experience.
