Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Directed by: Benh Zeitlin
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry
Reviewed by Stephanie Wong
[Rating: 4.5/5]
Free-spirited, effervescent and dauntless would be the words you would describe then 6-year old newcomer Quvenzhane Wallis who portrays Hushpuppy in the imaginative directorial debut of Benh Zeitlin. Beasts of the Southern Wild tackles the trials and tribulations of poverty, devastation, loss of innocence and love. Filmed through the eyes of fiery and brave Hushpuppy, you can’t help but be transported on an emotional journey through the vivacious little girl’s untamed imagination as she battles the misfortunes of the loving “Bathtub” she calls home. Although known to be “the most beautiful place on Earth” by Hushpuppy, the Bathtub is plagued with poverty stricken citizens isolated by a levee that harbors the neighboring consumer-driven industrial city. The little bayou community is on the cusp of experiencing an alarming hurricane of epic proportions that holds promise of destroying their loving little island. However, despite their conditions of destitution and news of tragedy, the tight-knit community celebrate their fortune, or lack thereof, with robust courage, defiance and plenty of booze.
Unluckily for Hushpuppy, the adversity of her situation progresses when her father is diagnosed with a terminal disease. Played stunningly by non-actor Dwight Henry, Wink is the epitome of a patriarchal father. He is unconventional, aggressive and a budding alcoholic. But although extremely harsh, his love for his daughter is evident as he hopelessly tries to prepare her to be independent and protect her from learning of his imminent death. This leaves Hushpuppy confused and lost, as she sways from feeling unconditional love for her father to being terrified and hating him, and ultimately, to forgiveness and acceptance of all her father’s actions.
Although Dwight Henry holds his own as the relentless and strong-willed Wink, Hushpuppy will charm you with one-liners and biting remarks as she battles with her tough and unshakeable father. You can’t help but applaud Wallis for flawlessly delivering lines such as “when you die, I’ll go to your grave and eat a birthday cake by myself”, in which she does with such vigor and complete with a stone cold face, that it’s no wonder she was the one chosen out of 3,500 other potential Hushpuppys.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a coming of age story, an anthropology of an alternative community and a tale of triumph that will leave you in awe. Paired with an enthralling and evocative soundtrack that seamlessly intertwines each defining moment within the film, Beasts of the Southern Wild is undoubtedly a must see in my books. The only area it falls short is the too frequently recurring odd side story of extinct carnivores called aurochs that haunt Hushpuppy’s imagination and the semi-shaky handheld cinematography that will sometimes leave you a bit seasick. However, Ben Richardson will still win you over with his whimsically filmed scenes, bewildering for an indie budget movie, that it is something one can easily downcast especially when you look at the picture as a cohesive whole, one with great directing, astounding acting and a mesmerizing score.
