MovieChat Forums > The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Discussion > Unnecessary Sexual Sugestion with the Pu...

Unnecessary Sexual Sugestion with the Purple Honey

posted 13 years ago by sartor023
24 replies | jump to latest

I was shocked to see the young black guy lift some of the purple honey off of the hive with his finger, and insert it into dakota's mouth in what I thought was a totally unnecessary sexually suggestive move. The music probably swelled at that time also, further suggesting sexual suggestion. The kids were too young to even think of the oral implications let alone think of/perform a more traditional sexual act. Geesh! Totally out of character for Dakatoa and the young boy at that time in the film!

[–] crazee-c 13 years ago

yeah, i cringed at that bit too.

it was completely off-tone and unnecessary,

[–] abbyw06 13 years ago

Having just read the book--this scene is straight out of the novel. If that helps.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mnbush 13 years ago

I didn't think the act was out of place since Zachary wanted her to taste the honey. I think whoever did the background music created a very different and inappropriate mood.

[–] Carly_fan 13 years ago

I think what made it sexual was Dakota's expressions and acting. She emotes the love her character wants so desperately to feel for not only others, but herself as well. If you get a chance, look at the scene and watch her eyes and mouth - they say it all.

[–] villagevicarage 13 years ago

I think more than anything, this is a compliment to Dakota's acting skills and skilled direction. This film, although some may not agree, was about awakening as much as anything else. I believe this was the remit handed to Dakota and it was rehearsed and shot numerous times. This thought can be strengthened by a comment in this forum regarding the first kiss...Dakota's hair positioning constantly changed - suggesting multiple takes to achieve what the director wanted.

For what it's worth, I found the film to be emotive and powerful. I was sad to see some of the characters not being as developed as they could have been, but the film, even after copious editing, ran over two hours.

Fr B+

[–] Moss-37 13 years ago

It reminded me of the old Flake chocolate adverts in the UK...still,be grateful he didn't dip a large Gerkin into that Honey first!

[–] Hoshi_Reed 13 years ago

How is it out of character for Dakota? She did Hounddog the year before.
If you mean her character, Lily, it was in character for both the theme (awakenings) and the book.

Not to mention; blowing the banana! She knew what it symbolized so she IS aware of sex.

[–] n_x 13 years ago

...Woa. I didn't get any sexual suggestion from watching it, he wanted her to taste the honey and i thought it was just cute and romantic. You guys think too much into it.

[–] ronnysoeberg 12 years ago

I agree. I think some people are prudish to the extent that everything becomes sexual. And hey, they were teenagers. When I hit my teens I had been thinking about sex for several years. It was by no means unheard of that teens in the 60s thought about sex. If you think so, check out the average age of having children back then. Way lower than it is now (at least for where I live). Being a mother in their late teens wasn't rare at all. Being a mother at 16 wasn't actually that rare either.

I didn't feel the scene was out of place. Two teens doing something exciting together. It was somewhat needed to seal the whole forbidden love-theme.

[–] shayg 12 years ago

Same here; I saw him as innocently sharing the honey, and only after she began tasting it did both of them notice the physical contact and become self-conscious of what it might mean. It took them by surprise. This was one of many events which I appreciated how low-key the movie presented them.

[–] Bubbathegut (17234) 7 years ago

beezinga?

[–] TheManInOil 12 years ago

There was no oral sex. What you imagine to be implied only speaks to what goes on in your head. As someone else mentioned - it was just an intimate situation between kids on the cusp of sexual maturity. It wasn't a sex act and didn't imply anything to do with oral sex.

"I'll book you. I'll book you on something. I'll find something in the book to book you on."