There’s something wonderfully strange about “The Rivals of Amziah King,” and that’s why I really dug it. The film feels like a laid back, backwoods hangout movie about bees, bluegrass and a bunch of lovable misfits in rural Oklahoma, but it takes a hard left turn into a violent crime thriller about quirky characters with questionable morals. While I am not entirely sure all of those pieces belong together, I certainly admired the hell out of the movie for trying.
Written and directed by Andrew Patterson, the film is unlike much of what’s currently coming out of Hollywood. It has a genuinely original story and a script that doesn’t settle into an obvious groove. At the center of the story is Amziah (Matthew McConaughey), a charismatic beekeeper who runs the best honey operation in town. He tends to treat his community like a giant beehive where everyone has a purpose and a clear role to play. The oddballs and outsiders aren’t just tolerated in his world, but they’re essential.
When Amziah’s estranged foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) returns, he sees an opportunity to reconnect and build something resembling a misfit family. There’s a genuine warmth in this part of the story (and some surprisingly funny moments), particularly when the movie settles into its bluegrass playing and honey making rhythm. The music (produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett) isn’t simply window dressing. Those impromptu jam sessions become some of the film’s most genuine moments of connection, where people who might otherwise have nothing in common can sit down, play music together, and briefly forget their differences. Of course, that’s before everything goes sideways.
The second half of the film is wildly different and considerably darker, with Amziah’s honey business attracting thieves, rivals, and dangerous trouble. The movie’s morality gets pretty murky, too. These aren’t characters who fit neatly into clear hero or villain boxes, and Patterson seems much more interested in what people will do to protect their own than in telling us who is right.
That tonal shift is also where I started to struggle with the movie. There’s enough good material here for a terrific and unusual crime drama, but the movie keeps dragging on and on long after it has made its point. The genre hopping is also jarring. This easygoing and folksy redneck musical turns on a dime into a grim (and occasionally cartoonish) crime thriller. I suppose I liked the ambition more than I liked every choice the director made.
Still, McConaughey is terrific in what may be his best performance in more than a decade. He’s completely magnetic as Amziah, bringing a goofy charm and quiet intensity to a character who could easily have become a throwaway caricature. He has a lovely chemistry with LookingGlass, and their connection feels completely believable.
Patterson also has something to say about community, and the beehive metaphor is surprisingly effective. The idea that every person has a role gives the film a thoughtful undercurrent about survival and mutual dependence. The community works because everyone contributes, and when that community is threatened, protecting it can require becoming something much less peaceful.
“The Rivals of Amziah King” is messy, too long, and wildly uneven, but it’s also undeniably original. I’d much rather watch a filmmaker take a big swing like this than give me another polished version of something I’ve already seen a dozen times.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 