Ulee's Gold

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Ulee’s Gold, released in 1997, uses the metaphor of the beehive to show the need to protect one’s family. The “gold” in the title not only refers to how Ulee makes a living producing honey, but also to the value of the family unit. He has been damaged by fighting in Vietnam, the death of his wife, and what has happened to his son and daughter-in-law. He sees the outside world as a threat, and has trouble accepting help from others.

The story starts with a shot of a swamp (symbolic of the unsavory situation in which the characters are mired?) and a rusted car (suggesting moral decay?) half-submerged in the water. The image is a foreshadowing of what is to come involving Ulee’s son and those he conspired with in committing robberies. The car is next to where Ulee Jackson (Peter Fonda, nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for this performance) carefully tends to his beehives, and the nearness of the car indicates the threat to his family. (Ulee is short for Ulysses, a mythical figure searching for his home after fighting a war, just like Ulee here. His deceased wife's name was Penelope, as is the the name of the Greek Ulysses's spouse). He meets with the honey distributor, Chance Barrow (Traber Burns), at a restaurant and haggles over the price of his tupelo honey. The man says that Ulee isn’t using as many bees as he used to which shows things aren’t going as well as they were. He also says that he hopes the Chinese don’t dump their cheaper honey on the market. Ulee says they can’t compete with his tupelo. He says he and the bees have an understanding: he takes care of them and they take care of him. He says they just have to work harder to survive. Ulee sees the bees as his trusted, dedicated companions who help him get by. The bees became a surrogate family for him after the members of his human family stopped pitching in together or were absent. Chance asks if Ulee has heard from Jimmy (who we learn is his incarcerated son), and Ulee says they don’t keep in touch. Chance says it has been two years, so the estrangement has become entrenched. 

Outside, Bill Floyd (J. Kenneth Campbell), the sheriff, sees Ulee and says that it’s been a long time since he’s seen him. He says they should get past things (presumably referring to Jimmy’s apprehension). Ulee says he doesn’t think they can be social again because of what happened. Bill says that Ulee can’t “stay cut off forever,” but Ulee’s isolationism causes him to dodge the discussion by saying that it is a busy time for his work and he has to get moving.

Ulee picks up his granddaughter, Penny (Vanessa Zima) at the elementary school. When asked he says he’s fine, but there is a general sadness about him, a tiredness in his walk, as if he has been worn down. Yet, he keeps plugging away, since that is what is necessary to survive. Penny talks to the neighbor across the street, Connie Hope (Patricia Richardson), a name that offers optimism for the future. Her clothes show her to be in the health profession, and it turns out she is a nurse. Penny sees her as somebody who is easy to talk with, and the nurse is friendly, complimenting Penny for doing well on her math test. Ulee is polite to her, but minimalist in his greeting. Penny says that Connie is very nice but the cautious Ulee says they don’t really know her. The movie suggests that if somebody shuts others out, then it’s impossible to have relationships. Ulee won’t even allow the young workers to help him get the honey ready for shipment, saying he is used to doing it alone.

Ulee’s other granddaughter, teenager Casey (Jessica Biel, in her first movie performance) is dressed provocatively with a very short skirt and tight-fitting top. Her hair style is wild looking and she has a nose ring. Ulee looks at her disapprovingly (interesting since Fonda played the rebellious one in Easy Rider). He interrogates her about the boy she will be seeing on this Friday night and what they are doing. She sarcastically says they are thinking of going to Mexico and rob banks, since it runs in the family “blood,” referring to her father. Ulee doesn’t even like her kidding about criminal behavior, so damaged is he about what has happened. Ulee tells her, thinking about Casey’s parents, and possibly himself, that she’ll “pay for the rest of your life for being a jackass.” Ulee likes to have everyone at the dinner table to solidify the family unit. The boyfriend’s loud car music disrupts that peace and he tells Casey to be home by 11:30 pm. She defiantly says she will “try,” which isn’t good enough for her grandfather. But she challenges him on how he is going to make her comply. This lack of control stresses Ulee’s already burdened world.

Penny joins Ulee in the garage where he is tinkering with some electrical device. He is always trying to fix things, although he finds the problems involving objects are easier to deal with than those of people. He gently chastises Penny for being up so late, but she points out his overprotectiveness since it is Friday night and she can stay up a little later. Penny looks at a framed photograph of Ulee’s company of men that he served with, which is next to a collection of military citations that Ulee received in the Vietnam War. She seems to want to understand why everyone in the picture died, asking if they were bad men and deserved their fate. Ulee says they were good men, and he is the sole survivor of the group because he was tricky and lucky. This scene may point to his having guilt about being the only one of the men to live, but it also demonstrates that Ulee can deal with adversity. Penny seems wise when she says, commenting on Ulee’s demeanor, that being sad has the benefit of making one “quiet” inside, which demonstrates the emotional range of human feelings. 

Jimmy (Tom Wood) calls saying he needs to see Ulee right away because his wife Helen (Christine Dunforth) is in trouble. Ulee at first says he couldn’t care less about her, and tells Jimmy maybe he can visit him at the prison the following week. Jimmy says that would be too late, so Ulee reluctantly agrees to visit him the following day. When Penny asks who called, Ulee lies, saying it had to do with the bee business, which reflects how he can seem to manage the insect family but not his own. He tells Penny to brush her teeth and he will read to her. He has had to play father as well as grandfather in his life. He picks up Penny’s crayon drawing which shows eggs in a basket which are named after Ulee, Penny and Casey. “Mommy” and “Daddy” are in the picture, but not in the basket. The picture illustrates to what degree Penny feels close to the different members of her family, with her parents not being the ones she can most rely upon.

Casey comes home late and is surprised to see Ulee waiting on the couch. He is honest with her about her father calling. Her first response is to ask excitedly if he is getting out of jail. He says no, and he wants Casey to take care of Penny the next day since he will be visiting Jimmy. She says to get Connie to babysit. Ulee’s response reinforces his isolationist policy saying, “We don’t ask outsiders for help.” To do so would broadcast to the world his problems, which he is ashamed to reveal exist and that he can’t control. He also assumes nobody will come through for him. Casey sarcastically says to tell her father to try and answer some of her letters. She exhibits how a child wants the attention of a parent, and how love can turn to hate when the child feels that the father and mother appear to have ceased caring about their offspring. 

The next day Ulee gets up early to visit his son. He looks at Connie’s shadow through a drawn shade across the street and there is a longing on his face, revealing a submerged need for female companionship. At the prison, there is a great deal of tension shown in the looks of the father and son. The first thing Ulee says is a criticism about how Jimmy hasn’t written to Casey. He says it’s a struggle to keep Casey’s “hormones” in check so she doesn’t have a baby even earlier than her dad and her mother, which again is a slight against Jimmy. The son says that Helen is in Orlando with Ferris Dooley (Dewey Weber) and Eddie Flowers (Steven Flynn), whose name suggests something sweet, but which in this case just covers the rotten reality underneath. The two men committed crimes with Jimmy before he was incarcerated. The men found Helen strung out on drugs. Jimmy agrees with Ulee that the two men can't be trusted and says Ulee has to go rescue Helen. Ulee dismisses the idea, saying she abandoned her children and can stay “gone” as far as he’s concerned. It’s as if, for Ulee, Helen is the queen bee who abandoned the hive. Jimmy pleads with Ulee, stressing that Helen is sick and Ulee is all the family they have to rely on. This request tugs at Ulee’s familial devotion. 

Ulee calls Casey and says that she has to take care of Penny longer because he may be bringing her mother home. Casey says, “Why bother?” It is sad to see such a feeling of hopelessness from a child concerning a parent. Ulee agrees with Casey’s feelings about Helen, but says that her father is worried about Casey’s mother. Casey again shows interest about her father, asking how he’s doing, because despite his imprisonment, she longs for a connection to at least one of her parents. Ulee is alone in his pick-up truck after the call, the solitary appearance of the image defining him, as he keeps calling the number Jimmy gave him to reach Eddie and Ferris.

Ulee finally gets through to Eddie on the phone. Ulee meets the two men at a pool hall/bar. Eddie has this fake smile and speech that offers only a pretense of civility, since his politeness contrasts with his seedy actions. For example, Eddie says hello to “Mr. Jackson,” and how it’s been a long time since they have seen each other. Ulee won’t be hypocritical and sarcastically replies, “Not long enough,” and adds, “I guess some things can’t be helped.” Ferris has a creepy predatory sexual nature, and presents with a lascivious smile. 

Back at where the men are staying, Helen is passed out in a bed. While acting hospitable, making Ulee a cup of coffee, Eddie says they had to tie her up because she was uncontrollable, wandering around in her sleep. He says that most people would have called the police. Again, Ulee says sarcastically that Jimmy is lucky to have such good friends. Eddie bypasses the intent under Ulee’s words and says he’s right. But, he says, Helen is too much for them and they had to give her more drugs to manage her, which of course continues the addiction. Eddie says they called Jimmy because of Helen’s condition. Eddie pretends that he and Ferris are happy to return Helen to her family. Ferris adds Helen is a nice “piece of ass,” and Eddie tells Ferris to shut up because he is spoiling Eddie’s positive slant on the story. The look on Ulee’s face suggests that he realizes Ferris had his way with Helen. Ferris says there is another reason for calling Jimmy. Eddie then admits his ulterior motive in contacting Jimmy about Helen. He knew Jimmy would send someone and that they would pass on what the two men want. There was a robbery the three men participated in, and Eddie says they found out that there was more money from the heist that Jimmy stashed away. They want it. Ulee says he won’t get involved in that and says that if they want to give him Helen, that’s fine, otherwise, he’ll just leave. After he gets up to go, Ferris goes after Ulee, but he sees the younger man coming for him, and is able to shove him behind the front door and keep him confined there. The action shows how although older, Ulee is still a force to be reckoned with. But Eddie has a gun, and says that if Ulee doesn’t cooperate, Eddie and Ferris will come after the family. Ulee gets Eddie to agree to a one-week period before he has to return and tell them how to get the hidden cash. They get the sedated Helen into Ulee’s truck. Ferris is now quite scary as he displays his sexual obsession when he tells Ulee to say hello to his granddaughters for him, and adds they must have “grown.”

Helen wakes up after the long drive and acts wildly right near the town’s school as they pass it by, drawing the attention of crowds of people, which is the opposite of what Ulee wants. Helen fights Ulee as he tries to get her into the house. Casey is sarcastic and says why did he even bring her home. Penny is wise enough to get Connie for help. Connie says that Helen should be hospitalized, but realizes quickly that Ulee doesn’t want to expose the sordidness of the family issues to the public. Connie gives Helen a shot to calm her, but they still must restrain her. Ulee knows that in addition to these domestic problems, he must also move hives and get honey ready for shipment. Connie continues to be a good Samaritan and offers to show up to supplement what the family can do to get Helen under control. 

Ulee finally concedes he needs help, and enlists Penny, thus trusting a human relative to help take care of his bee family. Penny asks if Ulee has ever forgotten where he set up his hives. He says no, and when Penny says, “that’s good,” we know that she is complimenting Ulee for being a good parent, unlike her mother, who seems to have forgotten where her children are. When they arrive at one site, the hive has been disturbed because, as Ulee says, a bear had a snack. This fact shows that despite his conscientiousness, Ulee can’t always protect his bees from danger, just like he can’t completely shield his family from threats. He does make sure Penny is safe from stings by giving her gloves and a hat, as he uses a bee smoker to calm the insects so he can collect a swarm of bees that coalesced on a nearby branch. Penny asks why Ulee isn’t afraid of getting stung, and Ulee’s response is that one must stay calm since the bees sense anxiety and fear. Ulee has a calming effect with his even voice and slow movements, but he also seems flat emotionally most of the time, as if his spirit died and he is now a sort of emotional ghost.

While Ulee gets gas for the truck, Sheriff Bill is parked close by after talking to someone. He walks over and comments how much Penny has grown, thus suggesting that Ulee has kept his grandchildren segregated from his old friend. Bill stresses how he had nothing to do with what happened to Jimmy, and Ulee agrees the fault lies with his son. But Ulee’s anger about what has happened to his family spills out in a passive-aggressive style, and he implies Bill receives bribes as standard practice working as a government official (the government standing for a symbol of the untrustworthy public at large and thus susceptible to corruption). When Bill lets on that he knows about Helen returning, Ulee shows controlled anger about how he probably blames Connie for letting information about his daughter-in-law becoming known. Bill says it has been six years since Ulee’s wife passed away and implies that Ulee has to move on from feeling bitter about her death. He also urges Ulee to accept some help occasionally. Ulee gives him a jar of honey and is derogatory by calling it a “bribe,” basically telling the sheriff that he doesn’t want any outside exposure because Jackson messes have to be cleaned up by Jacksons.

When Ulee and Penny reach home, Connie is there cooking food for Helen. She says that Helen has settled down, but being without the drugs will be very difficult for her. Despite the warning, Ulee doesn’t make it easy for Helen, saying she isn’t leaving until the “poison” has left her system. He lectures her about running from responsibility. She counters by saying, “There’s all kinds of running, Ulee. Your body may have stuck around, and that lousy bully part of your mind, but your heart took off a long time ago.” Ulee is defensive and erupts for the first time, saying that the problem was Helen and Jimmy wanted to take “shortcuts” from the long road that life travels down. As Connie tries to get him to leave the bedroom so as not to upset Helen further, he turns on the nurse, too, again revealing his need for privacy, by saying how the world doesn’t have to know “what’s going on in our house.”

Right after his outburst, Ulee feels sorry, and offers Connie some tea. He takes an emotional step forward here as he is hospitable to an outsider, possibly showing that he needs to confide in someone. She notes that there is quite a large load in his truck. He says that he “normally” doesn’t bring a large quantity of bees back home but things haven’t been “normal.” It’s almost as if Ulee symbolically needs reinforcements from his bee family to help deal with his other family. He talks about all the steps that he must take to keep the business running and admits how hard it is to accomplish all the work. Taking care of both his families is daunting. She asks permission (an important element of her request) to know about his wife. He says she had to put up with a great deal since Ulee was away in Vietnam, and then was hospitalized because of his knee. He then was absent a great deal more while working to set up the hives. When she passed away, Ulee says the death hit Jimmy (who she basically raised alone) and Helen hard, and Ulee basically “fell off the planet.” We now know why Helen said Ulee ran away from his life. Ulee admits that he wasn’t emotionally self-sufficient and only survived because of Casey, Penny, and his reliable friends, “the bees.” 

Since he was willing to confess to her about himself, Connie feels it is her turn to confide in Ulee. She has been divorced twice, and can’t decide whether it is fortunate or not that she doesn’t have children, probably because they would have had to go through the marriage breakups. But, they could have been there to help her through them. She says she doesn’t think he would approve of the divorces since he believes in sticking to commitments. But he reassures her that he isn’t sure about anything anymore to make judgments. She smiles, gives her a phone number so she can be reached at work, and wants to know how things are going. She also says to call her “Connie,” and apologizes that the sheriff found out about Helen. Ulee is starting to make a new friend after several years of self-absorption.

Ulee works hard at moving the hives and processing the honey as the clock on the wall shows him still laboring at 12:30 am. His dedication exacts a price as his knee injury is causing him to limp, and his back aches. He has to lie down on the floor to get relief. He finds Casey talking to her dad on the phone, which seems to make Casey feel better. She tells her father that she misses him. She is no longer wearing skimpy clothing or piercings, hinting at her reconciling to staying at home as opposed to putting herself on public display. In a sense, she is becoming more of a homebody, sort of giving Ulee license to be more outgoing. 

Ulee asks if Connie was there, which shows he is letting the nurse into his life and even is relying on her. Casey says Connie checked in and also took Penny to school, demonstrating how Connie is showing her commitment to the Jackson family. On the phone, Jimmy wants to know what’s going on since Eddie, not wanting to divulge anything on a phone call to the prison, has called Jimmy asking if Ulee has talked to his son. Ulee cuts Jimmy off and says he’ll visit in a couple of days, putting the reliable bees ahead of his wayward son’s situation, using the week Eddie gave him to sort things out. 

 Ulee picks Penny up from school and she has a picture she drew which shows her helping Ulee with the bees. Helen is sweet to Penny now, laying her head on her daughter’s shoulder. Penny explains her drawing to her mother, saying, “sometimes the bees get confused and run away. That’s them there on the tree. But they don’t want to be really gone. And they’re happy when someone helps them back into their home. But you got to keep calm and don’t panic when they sting, ‘cause they don’t mean nothing by it.” Her words metaphorically sum up the theme of the film. The bees and the parents are the “confused” ones, not knowing what to do when life becomes threatening. They abandoned their home, and they may “sting” others defensively (and emotionally, when it comes to the human counterparts), but they really want to return to their family. But, this analogy also applies to the emotionally distant Ulee, and that outside help is needed to bring everyone together again. The story is commenting on the way families work, where members may hurt others with no true malice, and they need to stay united even though things drive them apart. Casey is an example of the family dynamics at work here. Since her mother returned, Casey seems more committed to staying around and helping clean up, even turning down a chance to be with her boyfriend. She volunteers to help Ulee get the barrels of honey ready for sale. She thus joins Penny in cementing the commitment to the family.

At the prison, Jimmy is furious because he realizes that Helen told Eddie and Ferris about the extra bag of money he stole. Ulee is generous about Helen’s situation at this point, telling Jimmy that she was in terrible shape, and warns him that Eddie and Ferris will come after the family if they don’t get what they want. Jimmy says Ulee was a “jungle warrior,” which confirms that he was a good soldier. But he wants to aim Ulee’s past skills that were meant for the battlefield toward Eddie and Ferris, suggesting that Ulee kill them, doing the world a favor. Ulee calmly says he didn’t hear what his son suggested. Even though he is on a different battlefield now, Ulee does not want to give into the violence that he was part of in his younger days. Jimmy says the money is hidden in a cooler under the truck we saw at the beginning in the swamp. Outside, Ulee calls Eddie for a meeting. As he does so he sees a happy family on the street, which adds to the bitterness of his dire situation. He tells Eddie that he will meet them on Saturday with the money as they agreed.

Helen is still shaky, but sober and out of bed, cleaning up in the kitchen. She now sees more clearly and thanks Ulee for getting her out of Orlando. When Ulee tells her how he must get the stolen money to Eddie and Ferris, she realizes she was the one who confirmed its existence. She is very upset because they tricked her into thinking they already knew about it. Ulee is compassionate now toward his daughter-in-law, saying that it was a terrible secret to keep. He says he doesn’t want to go the police and implies it may just add jail time to Jimmy’s sentence if the existence of the stolen money was revealed. Ulee is willing to skirt the law to protect his son, despite Jimmy’s shortcomings.

Chance is surprised that Ulee couldn’t deliver his usual number of barrels of tupelo honey. Ulee is not ready to open up about his situation to make the man understand why he let him down. Chance can tell Ulee is not his usual self because it’s the first time he didn’t ask for a receipt. Chance asks if Ulee is okay, but as usual, Ulee can’t bring himself to ask for help.

Ulee arrives home at night and Connie is across the street and asks if she can help him bring in the groceries. As usual, he refuses aid, and Connie jokes, saying “tough man Jackson carries his own groceries.” He says gently that he’s been “turned around,” and is out of practice dealing with new feelings and new people, which may suggest he has some romantic interest in Connie. She lets him bring in the groceries himself, while still showing her concern for the Jacksons by asking about Helen. 

When he goes inside Jimmy and Ferris are there, and Eddie has his gun out. He says there aren’t any weapons in the house, which shows Eddie has already searched the place. Helen, Penny, and Casey are on the couch, silent. Jimmy says that they were tired of waiting, but they came most likely not trusting Ulee to deliver the money without any police involvement. The libido-infused Ferris slides down next to Casey and puts his arm around her. When she tries to get up, he grabs her and holds her close to him. Ulee says that if Ferris hurts anyone, they won’t get the money. Eddie tells Ferris to lay off, but uses him as a bargaining chip, saying that they have to get his mind “out of the gutter,” so it’s best that Ulee tell them about the stolen cash. Eddie says Ferris will stay with the females, but Ulee calmly says that as Eddie noted, Ferris needs “distraction,” so he also has to go retrieve the money. Ulee is again putting the welfare of his family before his own safety. The brutal Ferris says they should just beat the information out of Ulee, but Eddie doesn't see the need for drastic measures. Since this story takes place before the prevalence of cell phones, they just disable the land line. Eddie asks if Ulee has duct tape. Ulee’s response, which he used before, is “you bet,” which has a sarcastic, overly cooperative feel to the response. Eddie and Ferris secure Helen and the girls to chairs, and tape their mouths shut. Ulee says to Helen he is sorry about not only what’s happening, but for everything, which most likely includes how he was so distant in the past. The men get in Ulee’s truck and Ulee aggressively backs out the vehicle, but reassures Eddie that he won’t give them trouble. He performed the noisy exit knowing Connie would hear it. She goes to the Jackson house and finds the females bound and gagged.

The men go to the spot near Ulee’s hives where Jimmy hid the money. Eddie says that it seems like bee-keeping is a silly business, which shows his aversion to the cooperation and family bonding that the bees symbolize. Ferris frees up the cooler containing the cash. Eddie puts down his gun as he and Ferris grab at the money. Ulee smartly kicks the pistol into the swamp. An angry Ferris charges Ulee who easily makes him fall into the mud, an appropriate place for the slimy Ferris. He pulls out a knife and his snake-like, hooded eyes stare at Ulee, saying he will cut Ulee. Ulee says to Eddie that there was no need for the gun now that they have the money. But by disarming the men, Ulee has diminished their lethal capabilities without himself taking possession of the weapon which might escalate the violence. Eddie tells Ferris they need Ulee to get out of there probably so as not to raise any suspicions. (I suppose they could have left Ulee there, taken his truck, then ditched it, and run off with the cash, since they would have to go on the run anyway for the crimes they have committed). 

On the ride back Eddie is ticked off that Ulee disposed of his gun. He says that Ulee hasn’t done much with his life, quite a statement coming from a lowlife such as Eddie. Ulee borrows Eddie’s fake politeness by saying evenly that he has to thank Eddie for reminding him “that there’s all kinds of weakness in the world, not all of it is evil.” Ulee is actually saying he has weaknesses, but at least they aren’t so despicable, like Eddie’s. After they get back to their car, Eddie acts like he’s being mannerly again by saying, “Take care now, Mr. Jackson.” But his evil ways are sneaky, and he approaches Ulee after he turns away from Eddie, and acting like the coward that Jimmy said he was, stabs Ulee in the upper back. Eddie says it’s payback for the “stunt” back at the swamp. To show how careless they are, Eddie and Ferris drive off playing loud rock music, showing they don’t understand the concept of a clean getaway. Sheriff Bill immediately stops them, and luckily Ulee disposed of Eddie’s gun so there is no threat to the police officer. After informing them that their brake light was burned out, Bill then says he recognizes the two men from being from that area. He asks about the cooler in the back seat that is soaking wet, and asks to open it up. Ferris says that they found it on the side of the road, that it’s full of money, and they were going to turn it in. But, another police car arrives, and we know that Helen has told the police the whole story.

Ulee walks far enough, holding onto his arm as he bleeds, to see the police apprehend Eddie and Ferris. Ulee wakes up in the hospital and his guardian angel, Connie, is there. They are funny, as she tells him to settle down because he is on her “turf” now. He says he guesses he’s not dead, and she remarks that if he is, he’s “fooled a lot of folks.” Sheriff Bill is also there. He humorously toys with Ulee, wondering why Eddie and Ferris had anything to do with the beekeeper. Ulee plays dumb. Bill says he believes the two men used to hang around with Jimmy. He wondered if Jimmy had some money stashed away and says that Eddie and Ferris said that Ulee got the money for them. But Bill says he believes that they really had that money all along and Jimmy wasn’t involved. With prior warrants out for them, and along with charges of grand theft and assault with a deadly weapon, Bill says the two will be locked up for quite a while. Ulee says that Bill should let him know when they are released because, as he deadpans, “They’re not friendly.” Bill is letting Ulee and his son off the hook, and Ulee realizes it and has moved to a place of trusting his old friend again. He confesses that he didn’t know about the money until just a few days ago. Bill says that they just messed with Ulee because they were after his honey. The sheriff then starts to smile at his joke, but in a way, the evildoers were trying to deprive him of the real “gold” in Ulee’s life, his family.  

Appropriately, the next scene involves the Jackson family. Ulee, Helen, Casey, and Penny visit Jimmy. Jimmy and Helen hug and Helen kisses Penny. Being a good father, Jimmy asks if Casey’s boyfriend is treating her well. She reassures him that she won’t take any “crap” from him, which tells Jimmy she is thinking clearly. Jimmy remarks that he may be getting out in a year, which Ulee is surprised and happy to hear. Jimmy asks how Ulee is doing, and he says that someone helped him with the honey. He has taken care of his family, but he also knows now that sometimes people need help from others. When Jimmy asks how the bees are doing, Ulee says, “Hell, the mites are choking ‘em, insecticides are killing ‘em, drought’s starving ‘em. They’re fine.” So, just like people, who confront dangers all around, they continue to survive. Jimmy says he would like to work with Ulee when he gets out. The Jackson hive is starting to look promising.

Back at the house Helen and the girls are baking as they catch up, as Ulee says, for lost time. Connie visits Ulee as he builds new frames for the hives, always finding something more to do for his family. He gives her a jar of honey and thanks her for everything. He says he feels like a drone now since the women don’t need him anymore, but his complaint is a mild one, as he enjoys what is happening. He asks Connie to stay for dinner, as he has now begun to join the world again. To the music of Van Morrison, who sings about the sweetness of tupelo honey, the bees outside swarm to their hive, their home, reflecting the value literally and symbolically of Ulee’s gold.

The next film is Duck Soup.