An Indian-American competitor has won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee for the past 12 years straight, making the trend one of the longest in sports history. SPELLING THE DREAM chronicles the ups and downs of four Indian-American students as they compete to realize their dream of winning the iconic tournament. With fascinating perspectives from CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Fareed Zakaria, comedian Hari Kondabolu, ESPN's Kevin Negandhi, 1999 Scripps National Spellin... (Full plot summary below)
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An Indian-American competitor has won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee for the past 12 years straight, making the trend one of the longest in sports history. SPELLING THE DREAM chronicles the ups and downs of four Indian-American students as they compete to realize their dream of winning the iconic tournament. With fascinating perspectives from CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Fareed Zakaria, comedian Hari Kondabolu, ESPN's Kevin Negandhi, 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner, Nupur Lala, and others, the film explores the reasons behind this incredible winning streak and what it means for the community.
Leave your thoughts about Breaking the Bee.
| IndieWireKate ErblandA rousing documentary that’s equal parts inspiring, entertaining, and educational. |
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSpelling the Dream is a fresh take on the competition, focusing largely on the phenomenon of Indian-American dominance over the last quarter-century. |
| The Hollywood ReporterInkoo KangAnd in these troubled, terrifying times, as many of us are stuck at home simultaneously glued to, and existentially exhausted by, the news, Spelling the Dream is the kind of lighthearted but smart escapism you don't have to feel guilty about. |
| RogerEbert.comNick AllenWhoever advances to each respective next round, you want to root for these kids, and cherish the way they advocate for intellect at such a young age. |
| The GuardianBenjamin LeeWhile it doesn’t have the same tense grip of Spellbound, it’s an amiable enough diversion. |
| Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonThere is often a pulsating musical score buoying the action, such as it is; family snapshots appear, the histories of the individual kids are told, their approaches to competitive spelling are explained, and there are interviews with mothers and fathers who, someone warns, should not be stereotyped as “tiger parents.” |
| The New York TimesBilal QureshiSpelling the Dream is a film about winning, delivered with glossy visuals and a gratingly optimistic score that draws to a close with its champion showered in confetti — an obvious symbol for this overarching (and under-questioned) celebration of American multiculturalism. |
