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Unfortunately the mother, Helen (Christine Dunford), skipped town a while ago and headed downstate. Ulee doesn't know where she is and doesn't care to know. In many ways the situation suits Ulee, his fierce independence and stubborn streak. The breakdown only comes, as surely it must, with a desperate phone call from Jimmy. Helen has been found, in a state of physical collapse, by Jimmy's former partners-in-crime Eddie Flowers (Steven Flynn) and Ferris Dooley (Dewey Weber). It's up to Ulee to mount a search and rescue mission in Orlando, bringing Helen back home to those who (theoretically) love her. It's curious then that Connie Hope (Patricia Richardson), a next-door neighbour, provides most of the care.
This is, in so many ways, a happening far removed from the flash-bang of your archetypal Hollywood blockbuster. Ulee's Gold is not a film of big surprises, instants where the director turns you round and says "Look what I didn't tell you!". Instead Victor Nunez follows a very calm and considered course, leaving nothing hidden but much unsaid. This doesn't exactly make Ulee's Gold predictable though, more kind of obvious. The point being made is that plot, individual acts and scenes, is a contrivance. What Nunez wants to give the audience, through writing, directing and editing, is the measure of Ulee as a man. The slow beat of Ulee's actions, thoughts and emotions dominates the movie; a survivor in harmony with Nature and discord with Man.
It's hardly a shock then to find that Fonda alone ensures we're never bored by Ulee's Gold. His quiet, reserved, internally contemplative performance keeps perfect step with Nunez' direction. Each is the other's pacemaker. Fonda displays a remarkable sympathy for the world of small-time beekeeping, a tough occupation that combines sweat and artistry. The story spends a remarkable amount of time just watching, observing Ulee in daily rituals; the central dilemma barely gets a look-in. Fonda rewards our patience with decent acting, a slow arousal from emotional torpor. The rest of the cast are charming enough but Nunez is plainly less concerned by their situation, especially when they exist only for motivational purposes (like Wood, Flynn and Weber). From these supporting parts Biel and Zima impress most, despite their lack of range.
Actually the Florida setting, all swamp and forest, plays a big role in the finished product. Photographed by Virgil Mirano, the mood of Ulee's Gold is created by this environment, evoking a sleepy and rural spin. The heavy musk of pine needles hangs in the air, freshly spun honey flows and drips like amber; images of trees, bees, pollen and hot toast flash across your soul. Yes, there's an obvious metaphor linking rich Tupelo honey to the style of this film. Suffice to say that any such comparison is not entirely unfounded. Ulee's Gold works best within this limited scope, ignorant of the world outside.
Where Nunez' script breaks down is in its attempt at history, sketching the characters' background. Ulee's Gold mixes up what's important and what's not, throwing out all sorts of Vietnam junk whilst forgetting to explain how the current situation arose. In consequence, we can't invest much of our attention with the family group; when there's a coming together, where every thread gets tied in a final reel cop-out, it feels empty of worth. After all this avoidance of crowd-pleasing emotional fireworks and romantic cliché, the ending is almost a betrayal. Still, Fonda emerges smelling of roses with a performance of such calibre that you don't mind paying for the experience.
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