Beasts of the Southern Wild is a mystic blend of fantasy and reality narrated through the voice of six-year old "hushpuppy" (Quvenzhane Wallis). The film tells the story of a Katrina-like storm as told through the eyes and mind of this young squatter in a fictional coastal home called The Bathtub.
The backdrop for this film is rural Louisiana. During one of my trips to New Orleans, I took a side trip out to LaPlace for a swamp tour. During that side trip, our driver talked about a group of people who had built homes in the public area south of I-10 that is used to relieve pressure on the levy system by flooding. Many of these squatters were killed during Katrina. When I saw the first trailers for Beasts, I wondered if that may have been the inspiration for the film. That thought was reinforced by a scene early in the film that shows a refinery, which coincides with this same area. The parallels appear intentional.
Hushpuppy lives in her own trailer, built on stilts a hundred yards from her fathers "house." While their homestead appears to be in a desolate area of the swamp, the stove has gas and the homes have electricity. The homes and grounds are in a poor state of repair, with farm animals dwelling in and around the cluttered junk. The relationship between Hushpuppy and her father (Dwight Henry) is not the traditional type of father-daughter relationship that most people identify with. Instead, they struggle against each other in her father's attempt to make her stronger.
As the storm approaches, many of the people in her community flee. Hushpuppy remains with her father and a few other hard corps members of their community. The battle with the storm is a parallel to Hushpuppies' own struggles as she comes to terms with her father's pending death. It is a struggle rooted in fantasy as her perceptions of events slant the lens that we view it through. The perspective provides an interesting insight into the mind of a child faced with converging life-altering events.
Needless to say, I went into this film with high expectations. I felt this film had the potential to be a blockbuster indie film. Shot with a reported budget below two million dollars, the film did not look cheap. However, the story was muddled, even for a fantasy. There were parallels to be found, with rich symbolism, which I thought to be adequately done. But the film was kind of boring. I hate to go there, but I don't want to talk about what a great film it was when it plods along at times. When the theater erupted in applause at the end, I felt like everyone was fooled by "the emeror's new clothes." I don't know what everyone else saw that I did not, but I found the film to be interesting, but not exceptional.
The characters in the film are fairly one-dimensional, which has a lot to do with the childs-eye perspective. The narration was difficult to understand at times and what little dialogue we had was either shouted or whispered. The sound crew did do a decent job of toning done the primal squeals of our young star, but it was not seamless work by the sound crew. The story itself is fairly complete, and was engaging. I had hoped for more substance. I would also mention that the soundtrack was exceptional.
The most striking attribute of Beasts is the acting. Not all of the acting, but Wallis in particular. Her performance seemed to be beyond her years. In one emotional scene, she brings tears with incredible conviction. With this film anchored in the mind of a child, her performance was essential to the success of this movie. I did not care much for all the shouted dialogue, which I attribute more to perspective than performance, so I will give Henry a pass there. Aside from the bellicose delivery, his performance was a solid counter to Wallis. It is no surprise that she has had steady work since this film launched her career.
The film received a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. The rating is based on a variety of factors. The children seemingly run free, with little adult supervision. This creates dangerous situations, like a scene where the children swim far out into a large body of water. There is mild sensuality, although the childs perspective limits any gratuitous scenes (adding credibility to the concept). The film, with fantasy elements, may also scare younger viewers. The imagery could inspire nightmares in younger viewers, but this film is otherwise unobjectionable.
I really thought Beasts of the Southern Wild would be the best film of 2012. It had the right elements to succeed. It reminded me mildly of Maurice Sendak's classic, Where the Wild Things Are. The mixture of reality and fantasy combined with a child's perspective offers excellent opportunities for creativity. This film was darker, and based within a horrible natural disaster, which may have even heightened that effect. Instead, the film seems to meander along at times, allowing my mind to go other places. Fundamentally, I go to films to be entertained. On this point, Beasts succeeds. But I was also bored at times. If you find it streaming for free, it may be worth watching. This one is definitely an "art is subjective" type of film. 6.5/10.
