As a former teacher, I was aware of the annual National Spelling Bee, but never put much stock in it. From my point of view, it's a myopic portrait of intelligence, and is becoming even more trivial in today's world of word processing with automatic spell checks available. Oh sure, no "average" students would ever do well at the top levels of a spelling bee competition—like chess, only smart kids stand a chance at the national level. Resolute preparation for the Spelling Bee borders on "child abuse," and I do know a parent who took this event extremely seriously, putting excruciating pressure on her daughter to succeed. So I find the mentality portrayed in Jeffrey Blitz's documentary Spellbound very revealing and enlightening.

Blitz profiles eight finalists from around the U.S. who will compete in the Scripps-Howard sponsored National Spelling Bee that will be televised on ESPN. They form a diverse cross-section of the young intelligentsia competing for the national crown, and each has a compelling story that invokes sympathy.

First, there's Harry Altman, a Ritalin avoiding firecracker that provides comic relief just by the way he moves, scrunches up his face, and talks. He's the class clown, who laughs his way through his words until stumped by one exclusive to the Catholic lexicon: " banns." Obviously unfamiliar with a word that even most Catholics don't know, Harry stalls for time by repeatedly pronouncing the word, over and over and over, asking for the definition, word origin, and all the other spelling bee rituals, but with comic gestures that would make Chaplin proud.

Although Harry is the most obvious eccentric, the others all share a bond of loneliness—the sense that they are "different" from their peers because they hold different interests. Typically low-key and unpretentious Midwestern Ted says, "There are a couple of smart kids in my class but not many." What Blitz does best is unveil portraits of the pre-teens and families that reveal their motivations and character. Thus, we begin to root for many of them to win the top prize—an impossibility since only one remains standing for the championship. One of the more poignant vignettes belongs to Angela Arenivar, whose father first came illegally to Texas by paying a "coyote" $500. Still unable to speak English, he nevertheless had a dream for his family to succeed in America and can't be more proud of his brilliant daughter. If there's a sentimental favorite, Angela has to be the top choice!

Of course, there's also Ashley White, daughter of a single parent in Washington D.C., who seems like the least likely candidate to fulfill her dreams of reaching the final rounds. How likely is it that an African-American student from the Washington D.C. public schools, whose championship spelling word from her area was "plague" can hope to compete with the brainy Ivy League bound spellers that study 8+ hours a day, employ foreign language tutors to give them an edge, and memorize obscurities like "logorrhea." Since her primary strategy relies on the power of prayer, you have to feel for her, but realize she has little hope of succeeding against the competition.

Other candidates are greatly contrasted by their parents. By far the most driven is from San Clemente, California. From East Indian background, Neil Kadakia's father believes in hard work, and he compels his son to practice this principle. No child receives more drilling, tutoring, and pressure to the point that you fear failure on Neil's part will result in severe lashings (until the camera focuses on the father fervently praying for his son during the contest). As a counterpoint, Pennsylvanian April DeGideo becomes a real favorite for her more balanced view and warmly human parents that April describes as “Archie and Edith Bunker.” Seeing them in action, you realize that April's metaphor is nearly perfect as her ditsy mother can't even pronounce the spelling words while her easy-going father owns the local rundown pub. But they intensely root for their daughter to succeed her second and final trip to the nationals, and watching their reactions during the competition is a real treat. Also credit the cinematographer for framing the DeGideo's pet dog in nearly all the home footage—numerous "dead dog" sight gags insert necessary humor.

The final two are also veterans of the spelling bee circuit. Connecticut native Emily Stagg nervously anticipates her third trip to the Nationals, and Nupur Lala makes a return trip from Tampa, Florida where her corporate sponsors, Hooters, put up a sign saying "Congradulations, Nupur!" Like Neil, from Indian ancestry, Nupur is often photographed seriously playing her violin and we know that this driven girl has to be ranked among the favorites to win.

I recently watched part of the ESPN coverage of the 2003 National Spelling Bee and found its coverage tedious, but not so with Spellbound. Director Blitz turns his biographical vignettes into a suspenseful thriller, as each of the eight takes a turn at the microphone for a "killer" word among some 250 finalists. For added drama, Blitz includes some footage on another declared favorite named Georgie, who robotically performs his spelling words like a computer. Deftly juxtaposing the reactions of the kids and parents with their nervous encounters with obscure words (some of which you know they've never even heard of), their successful triumphal spelling, and disappointing misses, the documentary reaches high drama rarely seen in fictional works. Even when the kids meet failure, it never really feels devastating—these kids are all winners, and most are just relieved that the ordeal is over.

The fact that ESPN covers this very American activity shows how much hype goes into this media event, to the point that some of the candidates only dream is to "make it to the ESPN round." Of course, some will relive the moment that they blew a word they really knew, but the larger picture here gives hope for the future, knowing these exceptional kids are not forever doomed to memorize trivial pursuits for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, Jeff Blitz' remarkable film captures the spirit of this event with great intimacy and insight, so I'll find it far more difficult to turn off the ESPN coverage next year.