Film: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Director: Benh Zeitlin
Genre: Drama
Source: USA (2012)
Rating: PG-13
Location/Format: Blu-ray
Grade: B

I have to admit, I have a very difficult time judging the quality of Beasts of the Southern Wild because of the timing of our viewing of it. Here's a piece of advice: don't watch a film you're wanting to pay close attention to when you're dealing with the death of a beloved family pet.

That said, it's easy to see what's likable about this movie, and that basically boils down to Quvenzhane Wallis, the young actress who leads, narrates, and shapes the film. Wallis is a real find as Hushpuppy, dominating her scenes with a childish ferocity that cows children, her family, and the audience. Hushpuppy is a force of nature, which is a good thing given the odds stacked against her: a beloved but dying (and at times frightening) father, a flooded home, and centuries-old aurochs headed in her direction. Part quest-movie, part typical indie-fare, part children's fantasy, the movie does paint a magical world (though not the type I would want to enter, since living in the Bathtub still looks awful).

It's that magical realism that gives the movie punch and visual panache, but still it's Wallis who is hard to look away from. While I don't think she'll win the Academy Award for Best Actress, I can see why she got the nomination. This is her film, and she does a convincing job making the audience believe she really could emerge out of this semi-tragic lifestyle and make something of herself. The story is, as I said, basically a quest, and I'll bet if I had been able to focus on the film a little more clearly I could even draw some connections to Joseph Campbell and all that jazz. Unfortunately, the loss of our cat Watson meant the film only got about 60% of my attention. Maybe I'll watch it again down the line and try and analyze it a bit more. But either way, it was a good little film, and it's always good to see an indie film trying something different.

Alternate Film Title: "Somebody Really Needs to Call Child Protective Services"