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Set in an isolated fictional community called "The Bathtub", Beasts of the Southern Wild follows the lives of 6-year old Hushpuppy (Quvanzhané Wallis) and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry). The two live in extreme poverty as they struggle to take care of each other. Their lives, essentially broken by past events: be it the abandonment of Hushpuppy's mother or Wink's deteriorating health. To make matters worse, a huge storm lashes the community, leaving its residents to fend for themselves.
Rookie director Benh Zeitlin chooses a somewhat unconventional approach to the film, with a mostly raw and down-to-earth approach to filming that fits the "crudeness" of the life in this community. But he also mixes a social and environmental commentary about climate change with a fantasy element represented by the approach of the "aurochs", some primitive creatures that have broken free from the ice and are heading to "The Bathtub".
It is in this fantasy element that lies the film's main weakness. I kinda understand the intention, but I don't think it was successfully integrated into the main story. As a result, there's a bit of a jarring shift as the film tries to weave that symbolism into the plot. Ultimately, I don't think it was necessary at all.
The focus of the story is, and should've only been, the dynamics between Hushpuppy and Wink, and how they try to put the pieces of their life back together. Both Wallis and Henry deliver a pair of great performances, which is more impressive considering that none of them were actors. Henry wasn't even looking to audition, but decided to read for the part after he met the film crew who used to have breakfast at his bakery.
I watched this film for the first time in 2013, and I really didn't feel a lot of change in how I felt now in 2021 from what I felt then. Maybe the melodrama was a bit more off-putting now than it was then. However, I felt a stronger connection and more of a "punch" from both Hushpuppy and Wink than I felt then. Perhaps it's called "parenting".
Grade:
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
(2012, Zeitlin)
A drama film
(2012, Zeitlin)
A drama film
"Sometimes you can break something so bad, that it can't get put back together."
Set in an isolated fictional community called "The Bathtub", Beasts of the Southern Wild follows the lives of 6-year old Hushpuppy (Quvanzhané Wallis) and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry). The two live in extreme poverty as they struggle to take care of each other. Their lives, essentially broken by past events: be it the abandonment of Hushpuppy's mother or Wink's deteriorating health. To make matters worse, a huge storm lashes the community, leaving its residents to fend for themselves.
Rookie director Benh Zeitlin chooses a somewhat unconventional approach to the film, with a mostly raw and down-to-earth approach to filming that fits the "crudeness" of the life in this community. But he also mixes a social and environmental commentary about climate change with a fantasy element represented by the approach of the "aurochs", some primitive creatures that have broken free from the ice and are heading to "The Bathtub".
It is in this fantasy element that lies the film's main weakness. I kinda understand the intention, but I don't think it was successfully integrated into the main story. As a result, there's a bit of a jarring shift as the film tries to weave that symbolism into the plot. Ultimately, I don't think it was necessary at all.
The focus of the story is, and should've only been, the dynamics between Hushpuppy and Wink, and how they try to put the pieces of their life back together. Both Wallis and Henry deliver a pair of great performances, which is more impressive considering that none of them were actors. Henry wasn't even looking to audition, but decided to read for the part after he met the film crew who used to have breakfast at his bakery.
I watched this film for the first time in 2013, and I really didn't feel a lot of change in how I felt now in 2021 from what I felt then. Maybe the melodrama was a bit more off-putting now than it was then. However, I felt a stronger connection and more of a "punch" from both Hushpuppy and Wink than I felt then. Perhaps it's called "parenting".
Grade: