I had the opportunity to catch this film as it was still being fine tuned at the LDS Film Festival in early March of 2015. It was being screened just prior to a session in which a film that I had made was being screened. I'm always interested in seeing what other LDS filmmakers are doing and this one (which at the time didn't have a final title selected yet) sounded like fun. "Once I Was a Beehive" turned out to be one of the highlights of the festival -- a delight from start to finish. I laughed and cried and thoroughly enjoyed the film from start to finish. McAllen Nelson, who directed and wrote the screenplay, has done a wonderful job of taking the viewer into a world of young women learning to value who they really are. The young players, headed by Paris Warner as a non-Mormon who has lost her father to cancer and finds herself at the girls camp when her mother remarries a Mormon man, are all very warm and believable. Special mention must be given to character actress Barta Heiner (who was so wonderful as the senior teacher in "The Cokeville Miracle") who lights up the screen every moment that she appears. Everything about this film works from the directing, fine script, excellent cinematography and the catchy score. I rank this as one the best films that a family could enjoy together. It's worth seeing in the theatre (if you have a chance with its limited release) and certainly purchasing on a Blu-ray or DVD. Did I say that it was for all ages? I was 76 when I saw it and went through at least six hankies!
Review of Once I Was a Beehive
