by Caroline Westbrook BBC News Online

The tension keeps you on your toes

In the US, the National Spelling Bee, which first took place in 1925, is something of an institution, as closely fought and competitive as any edition of Fame Academy or Pop Idol.

In the UK, where such tournaments do not exist, the prospect of watching a documentary about a bunch of kids taking part in a big spelling contest may not sound quite so enticing.

But in fact, Jeffrey Blitz's film, which was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars this year (ultimately losing to Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine) is a stunning piece of work, one which serves to make its rather mundane subject matter seem positively thrilling.

Spellbound follows eight very different children as, having won their local heats, they prepare for the national final.

The children's backgrounds are fascinating

Each has a story to tell - Ted, for example, is a blue-collar kid from a trailer park who happens to have a genius IQ; April spends nine hours a day reading the dictionary in the school holidays.

Then there is Neil, the son of East Indian immigrants who have devised some extreme ways of assuring his victory in the contest.

And Angela is a remarkably accomplished speller even though her Mexican parents do not speak a word of English.

Not only is it fascinating to watch these eight children go through their academic, insular lives, but the second half of the film, which focuses on the Bee itself, offers more edge-of-the-seat action than any number of effects-filled blockbusters.

It is a pleasure to see a film which can have such an impact on its audience without resorting to cheap thrills, and by turning such a banal subject into something so fascinating - helped, of course, by his very obliging "cast" - Blitz has created one of the best films of the last 12 months.

Spellbound opens in the UK on Friday.

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