Beasts of the Southern Wild Review

Searching for the ocean in Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild

A+

 A Review by Frederick Cholowski

Every summer there always seems to be the film that is a small shinning light in a dark abyss of mid level blockbusters. Earlier this summer we got the fantastic Moonrise Kingdom that had color and fantastic quirkiness. Now comes Beasts of the Southern Wild a triumphant indie that sparkles with magical images and a heartfelt relationship between a neglecting father and his six year old daughter. Beasts of the Southern Wild is an ambitious, emotional roller coaster ride and the best film of the year so far.

 The story is fairly simple, a six year old girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and her father Wink (Dwight Henry) live, along with a crew of strange inhabitants, in what is only described as the Bath Tub. Life is simple in the bath tub everyone is self sufficient and basically pays no real attention to anyone outside of it. Wink especially resents the outside world and even after a storm levels the place and leaves it underwater (as well as the fact that Wink is also fatally ill and refuses to acknowledge it). The few people left in the Bath Tub deal with their struggles while the outside world slowly creeps in.

Beasts of the Southern Wild’s plot is unique because each thought is not a full concrete idea. Things happen in waves that, well linear, feel different than the normal film story structure. The plot works through stages of Hushpuppy’s feelings of what’s going on around with her relationships with her father and the world around her (as shown through some strange, yet interesting wild animal analogies). It all manages to work surprisingly well as a whole and never deteriorates into just a set of ideas that don’t flow together. For a first time director Benh Zeitlin does a fantastic job of doing ambitious things (such as the analogies and structure) while keeping it simple and direct. This is absolutely admirable.

On the subject of great things, young actress Quvenzhané Wallis is absolutely perfect in her role as the emotionally lost six year old Hushpuppy. Wallis is such a powerhouse in the role and she steals every second she gets on screen.  Dwight Henry is also great as the stubborn, ailing father who tries to stay tough in order to try and be there for his kid. Their relationship is top notch and is consistently the emotional centre of the film. The rest of the supporting cast, as they come and go, do a very good job of keeping the atmosphere and vibe of the setting going at all times.

Beasts of a Southern Wild, for the most part, is shot handheld. Going into the film I was skeptical of the idea but right away it managed to hook me. The handheld style allows for the film to have a more up-close and personal feel that allows for the film to be about the character’s view on their land instead of the land itself. It’s in a way the anti Tree of Life in the cinematography department. The score comes and goes (again a little anti Tree of Life) and is doesn’t do anything to improve or detract from the overall experience. Overall the film does an amazing job capturing what it needs to capture with the use of its technical elements and the small budget never makes this film feel like an indie.

Small yet emotionally big and powerful Beasts of the Southern Wild is an absolute marvel. For a first time effort Zeitlin delivers a wonderfully ambitious tale that combines a wonderful story linked together by some interesting analogies. Best of all all of the ideas work together and never feel messy or misused. Overall Beasts of the Southern Wild is a great accomplishment and the best film of the year so far.