Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

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Poetry in motion.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a whimsical tale about a six year old girl named Hushpuppy, (Quvenzhane Wallis) who lives with her daddy in 'The Bathtub.' A small island that's off the Louisiana bayous. As Hushpuppy puts it; the world is ending. Her father is getting sick, her home is being flooded, the animals are acting strange, than disappear. The polar ice caps melt and release ancient beasts called Aurochs. Hushpuppy and her friends and family must find a way to survive.

This is the first time I've ever watched a film, and thought it needed less dialogue and more music. The score in this film is beyond fantastic, I just wanted it to continue playing the entire time. Wallis, despite her young age really carries this film on her little shoulders. The last time a child this young did this well in a film was Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam. I see a bright future for Wallis is she chooses to keep acting. Another thing I found quite fascinating was the cinematography. I would've be surprised to see this around Oscar season.

Besides Wallis, I felt like the other actors were over shadowed by the great technical aspects of the film. I didn't care for how Hushpuppy was treated by her father, and we didn't get to know her neighbors well enough for us to form a bond with them. On a personal level, the whole act of people refusing to leave their homes despite the disasters that approach kind of got on my nerves, but that's a whole other story.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "A million years from now, scientists are gonna know that there once was a little beast named Hushpuppy. And she lived with her daddy in The Bathtub." - Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis)

Comments

  1. CourtneyAugust 19, 2012 at 2:25 PM

    I agree with Wallis carrying the film. But I also felt that Dwight Henry was a force to be reckoned with (especially since he owned a bakery in the 9th ward and had no acting credentials, like Wallis). I anticipate that they will both get nominations...or at least I hope so! Great review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoshAugust 19, 2012 at 7:18 PM

    I can't wait to see this, and I think the film could get a bunch of Oscar nominations. This could possibly be this year's Precious. Either way, I'm excited for it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CourtneyAugust 24, 2012 at 3:10 PM

    I think this movie raises the bar much higher than Precious did.

    ReplyDelete

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