The Rivals of Amziah King
In the outer reaches of Oklahoma, Amziah King is a well-known local beekeeper, part-time musician, and one of the most popular guys in town. Born and raised in the area, everyone knows Amziah, and he can drop coordinates on almost every family in the county. That he’s played by Matthew McConaughey in the new film “The Rivals of Amziah King” should not come as a surprise. McConaughey specializes in this kind of offbeat character – like the one which won him a Best Actor Oscar for 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club.”
Music making
While this film isn’t as strong as that one, McConaughey’s performance is actually better here. He nails the part in an original screenplay which takes a long time to unfold. Written and directed by relative newcomer Andrew Patterson, “The Rivals of Amziah King” begins with a somewhat impromptu jam session in the parking lot of a drive-in restaurant. And yes, drive-in restaurants still exist in rural Oklahoma. Amziah and his musical cohorts belt out a few bluegrassy gospel tunes on darn near every stringed instrument available before they are approached by the local police.
Beekeeping
Seems a truck full of stolen honey has been discovered, and the authorities turn to Amziah’s knowledge of the beekeeping industry to determine whose honey it is. You see, there’s been a recent string of honey thefts in the area, and the police are trying to get to the bottom of it. After transporting one of the honey vats back to his shop, Amziah incorporates the help of an old acquaintance named Remmick (Jake Horowitz), who shows up with his friend Colmar – an almost unrecognizable Tony Revolori (“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Long Dumb Road”) in the film funniest supporting performance.
A development involving a honey extracting machine and Colmar’s scalp – just go with me here – leads the group to a local hospital, and we begin to wonder if we’ll ever get to the bottom of the honey theft saga. It feels like this could turn out to be one of those drawn-out stories where all the action takes place in one night, a la “Pulp Fiction” or “Anora.”
Unexpected turn
But then Patterson’s narrative takes a pleasantly unexpected turn when Amziah runs into Kateri, a young Native American woman who lived with Amziah and his late wife for a couple years as foster children. Since the Kings were unable to conceive, they fostered several children over the years, and Kateri was apparently one of their favorites. After just losing her mother, Kateri has come back to town to work as a waitress.
Taking her under his wing again, Amziah shows Kateri the ins and outs of the beekeeping industry – which is big business in these parts. In a not-so-subtle scene, Amziah explains about the three types of honeybees – the workers, drones, and queen bee – as we mentally place each of the characters into one of these categories of bee.
Best sequence
In the film’s best sequence, Amziah takes Kateri to a potluck dinner at a local church. As she fills her plate with one dish after another, he gives her the backstory on each of the people who made and prepared the food, doling out anecdotes about each family as though this knowledge were essential to enjoy their culinary creations. It’s a funny scene but also touching, as it reveals more about Amziah’s connection to the people than if a mutual friend had simply told Kateri about him.
Angelina LookingGlass
Played by newcomer Angelina LookingGlass, Kateri is presented as a soft-spoken but strong woman who looks up to Amziah as a parental figure who comes back into her life at just the right time. Initially embarrassed to sing with Amziah and his friends at one of their late-night jam sessions, she is eventually coaxed into providing some harmony as the group eagerly welcomes her.
Musicians as family
And that’s the impetus of the music angle in “The Rivals of Amziah King.” At first, it’s not entirely clear if this is going to be a story about beekeeping or about music. The music-making is that central to the script! But we realize the musicians are a family – and with no biological family to speak of, they inhabit Amziah’s life as his kith and kin. Instead of coming home from a long day and spending time with a spouse and kids, Amziah spends time with his music family.
McConaughey nails the part of Amziah, but again we expect that from him. He’s one of the best actors in the business, and almost never hits a wrong note. The real discovery here is LookingGlass. She reminds me somewhat of Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Certain Women”), although with a more effusive and tenacious screen presence. Kateri turns out to be central to the developments as “The Rivals of Amziah King” progresses.
Beautifully shot
My favorite part of this picture is this middle portion where Amziah and Kateri bond and form a new family unit. Much like last year’s “Train Dreams,” this is a beautifully shot piece of work. When they take a walk in the woods, we feel like we’re right there with them. Cinematographer Miguel Littin-Menz does an excellent job of presenting the two of them as one with nature and with their surroundings. The bees are not simply a business to Amziah, but they are also a part of his family.
Unnecessary third cat
While the final act allows LookingGlass the opportunity to show her acting chops, it almost becomes too plot-driven, as Kateri employs the “talents” of Amziah’s acquaintance Remmick – a decent man who always seems to operate just outside the boundaries of the law — to help solve the honey-stealing mystery. It’s almost as though this story line were thrown in to give “The Rivals of Amziah King” an actual plot, rife with good guys and bad guys. I do not believe this is necessary here. Patterson could have chopped a good half-hour off this slightly-too-long film and instead given us a more character-driven work about two people and their love for music and beekeeping.
Reconsidering family structure
And since when has there been any movie about beekeeping? I know Peter Fonda was nominated for an Oscar for 1997’s “Ulee’s Gold,” but that was a plot-driven crime story which just so happened to feature a lead character whose career was in the beekeeping industry. “The Rivals of Amziah King” is actually a film about beekeeping. It is also a film about music. And family. What makes a family? It’s not always biological. It’s not always what we expect. Much as Patterson makes us reconsider family structure, “The Rivals of Amziah King” makes us reconsider the art of film. After all, this film is like nothing else you’ve ever seen before – or probably ever will again. And that is its beautiful strength.
Andy Ray‘s reviews also appear in https://townepost.com/tag/film-review/