We see Honey Bee, as she is called, get Ryan's name tattooed on her wrist as the film opens. You might think Ryan is her boyfriend but Ryan is her pimp.
She doesn't really understand the difference between love and turning tricks. She has had a rough life. Her life changes dramatically when she is caught in a sting. Because she is underage, Honey Bee aka Natalie (Julia Sarah Stone) is sent to a foster home in Cochrane, Ontario.
She ends up on a farm with farm chores as well as school. She is not in the mood for any of this.
Natalie steals a girl's phone to call Ryan (Steven Love). He wants to have nothing to do with her.
Her new foster mother Louise (American actor Martha Plimpton) is tough. Louise and Natalie butt heads a bit.
Natalie shares a bedroom with Chante (Michelle McLeod). Matt (Connor Price) is the other foster kid in the house. Natalie thinks Chante is square and Matt is really shy. Natalie kisses Matt by the horses, getting both of them in trouble.
Ryan had promised Honey Bee they would go to the Big Nickel aka Sudbury. Natalie finds out that Sudbury is a few hours south. She makes her way to try and find him.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
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You might think you've seen this type of film before in more of an exploitative story. Bonnie Fairweather and Kathleen Hepburn with director Rama Rau approach this story in a much more thoughtful process. We see Natalie as tough and vulnerable on multiple levels. Chante is a fully formed complex character who is treated beyond the typical 1-dimensional presentation.
The hope throughout the film is that Natalie can learn about what love truly is but she learned a lot of bad ways.
They give Natalie, Chante, and Louise the vast majority of the lines and scenes. Peter Outerbridge, an amazing Canadian actor, plays the foster father. He might have 6 lines in the film.
One amusing Easter egg in the film: Pat Mills has a minor role in this 2018 film. Mills wrote and directed Don't Talk to Irene (2017), which stars McLeod.
Julia Sarah Stone is most of the reason to see Honey Bee. Stone is a young actor who has shown her willingness to be very vulnerable on screen. Unlike Allure, she has a great script and strong direction.
video credit: YouTube/Movieclips Indie
photo credit: Honey Bee film
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