Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild
by Christian
Romero ‘13
The
year 2012 has been filled with a myriad of box-office smashes and gargantuan
Hollywood productions like The Hunger
Games, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, and Breaking Dawn-Part 2. Granted, many of
them have proved to be genuinely memorable and worthwhile films. But there are
some films that miraculously manage to elude the public eye, arousing only the
voracious appetites of film critics who have been waiting for unique
independent films to be worthy of their praise. Recently, while perusing my On
Demand “Just In” library, I noticed the standout title Beasts of the Southern Wild. I had heard of it before, for it had
stirred a considerable amount of buzz at the Sundance Film Festival this past
June, winning the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s greatest honor. Looking
to see who starred in the film, I noticed an unforgettable name, Quvenzhané
(Kwuh-Von-Je-Nay) Wallis. The film’s summary was incredibly brief, only
mentioning that it chronicled the story of a young girl struggling to survive
in a community on the outskirts of New Orleans. Had it not been for the
ecstatic praise of the film and the assertion by my favorite film critic, Roger
Ebert, that the movie was “One of the year’s best films,” I would have passed
over the film without hesitation. But after watching the first eight minutes of
the film, I realized that I had stumbled upon something special.
Hush Puppy, the film’s protagonist, is a tenacious six
year old girl who lives with her father, Wink, in the mysteriously enchanting
community known as “The Bathtub.” The community has the outward appearance of a
decrepit shantytown lying on the fringes of the Louisiana bayou, but it is a
cohesive place held together by a group of interesting characters who enjoy the
freedom of living on the fringes of society, able to go about partying and
enjoying themselves as they please. In the beginning of the film, Hush Puppy’s
“teacher,” Miss Bathsheba, tells her students that a storm is approaching, and
when it comes, they better be prepared to take care of themselves. The
fantastical element of the film enters with Miss Bathsheba gives an account of
creatures that are supposedly trapped in the Antarctic ice caps known as
“Aurochs.” They are gigantic boar-like creatures who terrorized and ate the
cave men of yesteryear, and, according to Hush Puppy, “If it weren’t for the
meteors and the Ice Age, I would have been breakfast.” When the storm does
arrive, most residents of The Bathtub leave their idyllic playground and seek
protection in the real world behind the levee walls. But Wink obstinately
refuses to leave, instead turning his home into a fortress against the
prevailing storm. In an attempt to quell the fears of Hush Puppy, Wink runs out
into the middle of the storm with a shotgun, pretending to destroy the storm
with a few blasts of his gun. Ultimately, the storm leaves The Bathtub
underwater, forcing Hush Puppy and Wink to search the ruins for any survivors in
their “boat,” which in reality is an overturned truck propelled forward by its
engine and metal oars. It is this storm, and the three Aurochs that are
released from the Antarctic ice caps due to the sheer force of the storm’s
nature, that work to change little Hush Puppy’s life in unforeseeable ways.
Divulging the entire film’s plot would not be enough to
describe its joys and intricacies. It is one of those movies that can only be
understood by experiencing it. I was taken aback by the sheer creative force
behind the film and its insistence on being something wholly unique. First time
director Benh Zeitlin, a graduate of the prestigious Wesleyan University, which
has a distinguished film program, was able to wring a captivatingly magical
“kingdom” out of the Katrina ravaged
lands surrounding New Orleans. His wise choice in casting unknown stars is one
of the film’s greatest strengths. Dwight Henry, who plays Wink, is utterly
convincing as a man struggling with a drinking problem, a short temper, and a
blood disease. He owned the Buttermilk Drop Bakery & Café in New Orleans
while the auditions were being held for the various characters, and, on a whim,
auditioned and got the role of Wink. He experienced Hurricane Katrina firsthand
in 2005, and the role fit him naturally, allowing him to perform it with utmost
conviction. But the breakout star of the film, the little ball of sheer talent
that serves as the nucleus of the film’s genius, is Quvenzhané Wallis. She is a
natural actress; many child actors are not yet ready to break out into leading
roles, requiring instead years of practice in minor supporting roles, but the
role of Hush Puppy is completely fleshed out through Wallis. She embodies the
character, and I highly doubt the film would have been anywhere near as
powerful without her. Praise must also be given to the film’s production
designer, Alex DiGerlando, who constructed the unforgettable community of “The
Bathtub,” and the film’s composers, Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, who composed a
score evoking the phantasmagorical essence of the film’s narrative core. Beasts of the Southern Wild tells a
story not of beasts but of larger than life individuals who are completely
independent of the modern technological innovations of nearby civilization and
are free from the constraints of toil and work and adhering to schedules. This
is the most original, audacious, stunningly beautiful, wonderfully magical, and
lovingly wrought film of 2012, and it possesses a charm that many mainstream
films lack. I wholeheartedly urge everyone to experience this film, for it
showcases the ingenuity and originality of American art.
My rating: 4/4 Stars
This film has been
rated PG-13 for thematic
material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and
brief sensuality.
