User Reviews

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

An engrossing, vigorous, fanciful, primal movie set in Southern Louisiana in time of flood and strife. It's about the power of people to survive. It's a celebration of animal behavior. It's about community and loneliness. There are echoes of ourselves in all these people in their craziness or compassion, or their uneducated wisdom (or lack of wisdom which then depends on luck and instinct).

In short it's quite a ride, and the leading character is a little girl who now is up for an Academy Award nomination for best actress, with the only question about that being the weirdly simple and true question--how much is she acting, how much is she just being herself with amazing transparency on the camera? Well, the same could be said of lots of adult actors who are really just themselves over and over, and so you really can watch "Beasts" for the stellar and heartwarming effort by Quvenzhané Wallis.

There are other performances startling for their gritty (or downright filthy) realism, including the girl's father. But these start to intermix and blend into a larger effort involving the elements of wind and rain and flood, unbridled partying, moments of tender caring including some folk wisdom by the teacher and healer of the group, and so on in an up and down, topsy turvy mix.

You can love this movie just for its insider look at a culture that you hardly knew possible in the United States any more, or even in any third world country for its primitivism. It is in fact rather based on truth though ramped up and made sensational and into a kind of fairy tale. There are (in reality) some islands that have communities struggling on the fringes along the complex coastline of Louisiana, and some of them have almost no development, and correspondingly little education and health care. The film was shot on an actual island like this, though it given a fictional name (nicknamed the Bathtub by the characters).

You can also love this movie for its metaphors. If there is misunderstanding and cruelty between father and daughter, there is also a base instinct to stick together and survive. If there is a sense of independence there is also a dependency on neighbors and outsiders. If the world seems out of whack and insane you still find ways to make part of it reasonable, by either makeshift construction or by changing your outlook. And there are those giant boar animals menacing the main character in some kind of dream. This is really about survival in ways that go beyond physical comfort and food.

There is a problem, especially for people who appreciate more sophisticated movies for their plots and their filmmaking savvy, with the generally meandering narrative. The movie is not without ups and downs and an evolving sense of drama. But it depends more on its scene and its characterizations than on what happens with them. Things happen but they don't particularly develop, in the usual sense. You'll be spellbound and maybe even frightened (or according to some reviews, disgusted) by many of the scenes, but you might also start to wonder what it's all leading to. That's the narrative instinct in all of us for a development toward some kind of climax or turning point, and it's not compelling.

So just be immersed. Admire the fact these are amateurs and independents. Click back a few expectations and be surprised by some of the content for its immediacy. Unique and riveting.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is shot through the eyes of a six year old. To Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis), the islands of southern Louisiana are a magical place filled with lucky people who do not have to live like cowards behind the levees and only get one holiday a year. Hushpuppy's voice-over reveals the island folk rarely need an excuse to have a party or take another holiday. If this film were shot through the more perceptive eyes of an adult, the audience I bet would get a much different take on things. Extreme poverty, alcoholism, and child neglect are just the first few overt issues which come to mind. It was a very wise move for the filmmakers to stick with the child protagonist. Magical realism is far more acceptable and preferable to an audience than what could arguably be termed child cruelty.

Hushpuppy and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), live in an area called 'The Bathtub'. It is not protected by the New Orleans levee system, people scuttle around from place to place by haphazardly crafted boats, and everyone expects that some day, the melting polar ice caps will submerge their homes and only the strong will survive. It turns out that some day in Beasts of the Southern Wild is now. When Hushpuppy first hears the thunder of the coming storm, she believes it to the be the sound of melting glaciers falling off of Antarctica. It is never mentioned by name; however, the storm appears to be Hurricane Katrina. Since the main part of her father's and his friends' days consist of drinking, there are no preparations for the coming calamity, just praise for the brave souls staying behind for what they claim will be a little wet weather and catcalls to those fleeing behind the levees. Where is mama in all of this? The idea of mama to Hushpuppy is and old, dirty basketball jersey she carries around with her and sometimes talks to. Every now and then, Hushpuppy thinks she sees mama when she glimpses a far away lighthouse or watches an approaching helicopter. Whether mama is dead or has just run off is another unexplained phenomenon kept by daddy.

After the storm, Hushpuppy and daddy float around in their make shift boat which is the back of an old pickup truck with a struggling outboard hanging on behind it. They meet up with a few other survivors who immediately start engaging in activities they do best, drinking. However, this was not your regular storm. The water is not receding, the animals, even the fish, are dying, and whatever sickness daddy had to start with is starting to pick up speed. Throughout the ensuing scenes to remedy their dreadful situation, Hushpuppy keeps the audience involved with her prescient voice-over. A notable example is her comparison of getting old and sick outside of the levee wall versus inside of it. Outside there is savagery; the young will eat the old and move on. Inside, they plug you into the wall (ventilators). Whenever daddy feels he has been a particularly lousy father, he teaches Hushpuppy to do something such as catch a catfish her bare hands and be sure to give it a good punch when she gets it into the boat. There is also an odd side story involving long extent carnivores called aurochs. They represent the savage beasts who kill and eat anything and everything. The allegory is not readily apparent and its payoff is understated at best.

This description sounds starkly bleak, which the subject matter surely is, but the film is very well put together. The scenery looks like it would after biblical destruction, the actors appear to all be locals and have the accents to prove it, and the music is incorporated effectively. The very young actress playing Hushpuppy is phenomenal. Perhaps a few years from now she will realize just how deep her character is written and how only a very minority of child actors could have possible pulled it off. Her father, while not necessarily a sympathetic character, was well cast and while is not particularly an ignorant man, is certainly a man set in his ways determined his progeny will follow in the local footsteps. Having respect for and maintaining the traditions of your place of birth is one thing, but more than likely, Hushpuppy is being set up for a life of substance abuse and unsteady employment. However, that is jumping ahead. Beasts of the Southern Wild is about a very specific time and place with thoughts only of the next meal, not tomorrow, and definitely not next month.

The camaraderie between our heroes and the locals is fun to watch and seeing how they make the best of a horrible situation is quite creative when you see it as Hushpuppy does. There is a high probability this film will continue to progress with strong word of mouth, end up on several Top 10 lists, and be in line for some Oscar nominations. The film is certainly worthy of the word of mouth it is getting because audiences have really not seen anything like this before, but the automatic Top 10 inclusion is a bit far-fetched. It is winning awards for cinematography, but the hand held camera borders on annoying at times. If there is a party, the audience intuitively understands it is fun. Does the camera have to wildly spin around as well? When someone is running, must the camera bounce up and down too? See Beasts of the Southern Wild for the story, the locations, and the child actor. You will tell your friends about it the next day.

As I said, I thought the film is over-rated, over-hyped, formless, basically plot less, and trite. The father is a mean drunk (who still loves his kid), and the kid is a solemn and wise six year-old. Two stereotypes, wouldn't you say? They live in The Bathtub, a shattered but colorful community on the gulf side of the levee. The community is comprised of other drunk people who also love and care about Hushpuppy, the young girl. Hushpuppy is quite precocious, interested in things that don't usually concern girls of her age: the after-life, ecology, such eternal questions as the meaning of life. She of course loves her mean drunk father and all the furred and feathered creatures that live in their little farmlet. There is an air about the film that is surreal. The characters in their madness are a bit like the characters in Mad Max. They are all over-sized and eminently watchable in their enthusiastic inebriation. But I wished for a few moments of lucidity, where people just talk to each other without ranting and raving. The overall impression that I got is one of sadness. There is very little joy -- other than that which comes from the bottle -- in their lives. This said, I enjoyed the movie. It is very watchable, but in a guilty sort of way. Their lives are painful. It is set in a part of the world that we don't normally see, with people we would generally avoid. Technically it is very well done. The visuals are great. I would recommend seeing it but not attending too much to the surrounding hype.

I can understand how most people view this film within the context of Hurricane Katrina. But even as a former denizen of the Gulf coast who sat out Alicia, Claudette, Allen, Rita, and Ike, I view this film in a much, much larger context. It goes beyond stereotype and into archetype -- the denizens of the Bathtub aren't poor drunks at the mercy of the environment, they are The People of the world they inhabit. Hushpuppy doesn't have a drunk father, she has a Father, with many of the faults and strengths of the immortal epic heroes -- anger, pride, genuine love and concern. Hushpuppy herself isn't just a little girl, she is The Child -- the purveyor of a magic which is real, intimately connected with her world, imaginatively linked with All Things. The outside world is a place of Things and Machines, of paperwork and rules -- and is never actually named, you see, because that would diminish it. Everything in this film exists within the realm of archetype, and if you watch it with that in mind, its multiple messages take on cosmic significance. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted -- it's going to take a few more days for the entire thing to completely sink in. Outstanding!

the first temptation is to compare it with other films about same theme. and you discover it is unique. unique because it is a fantastic translation of the refuges and visions and creativity and courage of an unique age. than for an extraordinary child actor. not the last, for the feel to be part of film. to see the landscapes, to touch the things, to be near the courageous girl, to hope save the situation of the poor father. it is a dream and a fairy tale and a seductive pledge to see, for other side, the life. it reminds the drawings of children, always more serious and realistic than you imagine its. and this small detail, the tension, the powerful flavor of freedom impose "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as something real special. maybe an experience. maybe vehicle to memories. maybe total show. maybe rediscover of territories living inside us.

This is not an easy movie to watch. It is a story of a father and his precocious daughter caught in a tough life in Louisiana's poverty-stricken bayou area called "The Bathtub." When a big storm (Hurricane Katrina?) devastates their community, their already upside-down life goes into a further tumble.

The lead actors here are not really professional actors. The father Wink is Dwight Henry, a baker by trade. The daughter Hushpuppy is 5- year old Quvenzhane Wallis. There really seemed to be no acting in this film. Everything had gripping reality, as if they were actual proud residents of that miserable community. Ms. Wallis, now 8 years old, is high on the list of being nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, and I would not be surprised if she will be.

I cannot say I liked this film. I do not exactly find it uplifting or inspiring. It is just a reality check for everyone who forgets that people actually live in such abject conditions in America. This is the unknown America devoid of high-tech conveniences of life, and we see it here in the eyes of a jaded child. Hushpuppy's vivid visions of collapsing icecaps and rampaging aurochs, as how she visualizes the fury of the storm, may not exactly make viewing this film any easier, but her raw emotion is all out there for us to feel.

This is such an original piece of work, I believe I need to view it again. Unlike some of the naysayers that have given this almost no worth, despite the fact that it doesn't have a conventional plot, I was mesmerized from the beginning. First of all, this is dreamscape and fantasy. It's the mind of a remarkable little girl as she butts heads with her fears and her awful lot in life. The river people are just that. They are survivors. They are so out of the ordinary, one can dismiss them. I challenge anyone who has not had to be a part of such a world not to judge so harshly. Katrina brought these people to the surface literally and figuratively. This is an example of the objective correlative which is what visual filmmaking is all about. As for the acting, it seemed at times that no-one was really acting, as if they were actually people of the river. I look forward to another viewing.

I was looking forward to Beasts and for the first few joyous minutes of the film (before the title came up) I thought the hype just might be justified. If only. Once the title image faded the film went into a slow fade as well, with only one little lift in a bar-room scene towards the end. I left feeling sucked in once again by critic group-think and the over-enthusiasm of cinematic innocents.

I don't want to be overcritical of this film. It does have some points of mystery and intrigue. It does have some good performances. And it does showcase the talents of director Benh Zeitlin. But it just isn't what it's been cracked up to be.

Above all, it isn't a fable about climate change, despite the heavy- handed script. The storm, and the ice melts and the aurochs are symbols for I don't know what. In fact, if you know how the aurochs were created these creatures seem silly beyond belief - cute and ridiculous rather than relentless and threatening as they were no doubt intended to be.

Truth be told, I don't know what this film is about. It could be a parable about the dangers of alcohol, because most of the main adult characters seem to be drunk all the time. It could be a story about the lifestyle of bayou dwellers, though if I lived in those swampy backwaters I would be pretty annoyed by how I was being portrayed in this film. It could be a tale about the importance of community, except most the residents of the Bathtub seem to light out before the storm hits, leaving just the most stubborn, or stupid, or inebriated to regroup in an orgy of squalor, appalling personal hygiene and disgusting table habits. It could be all of these things, or none. But one thing it isn't is exceptional.

You have never seen anything quite like "Beasts of the Southern Wild". It is a film that will have you thinking about the love between a father and a daughter, about appreciating what you have in life and our ability to adapt to whatever comes at us. Quvenzhané Wallis is certain to beat Anna Paquin and Tatum O'Neal out as the youngest best actress nominee in history. Best original Screenplay is also almost a certainty. Go in with an open mind and enjoy this unique film that plays almost like a documentary and yet is full of fantasy elements as well. This is a don't miss.

If I have one quibble with the film it is the hand-held camera technique that at least in the early scenes is particularly annoying. It usually takes so much from my enjoyment of the film. I get it though, it gives it a more realistic feel and in this film it may have added to the overall experience. Still bugs me though.

Another plus at the screening tonight in Denver was a long Q and A with the talented director/screenwriter Benh Zeitlin, Dwight Henry who played the father Wink, and Quvenzhané Wallis. Lovely people all, and I hope to see their work in many films to come.

This film tells the story of a girl whose life is turned upside down by a flood in her village.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" looks like a fairytale or fantasy adventure from the poster, but in fact the film cannot be further from it. The plot is impossible to follow, as it is just a random collection of scenes that are poorly bridged together. For example, how did the girls get from the prostitution rig to a beach all of a sudden? Things are so poorly explained in the film, that I did not understand a thing. The film also shows a lot of irresponsible parenting, and I dread to think whether this has adversely affected the little girl actress. And as for the beasts mentioned in the title, I do wonder if it is referring to the scanty animals we see, or to the father and his friends. I was thoroughly bored by "Beasts of the Southern Wild", and I appeal to all to avoid this film.

This film follows a young girl named Hush Puppy who lives in an impoverished community in the American Deep South. They have all the problems you'd expect but there are so many connections and are happy the way things are. We see a dichotomy between the inner world of humanity and the outer world of bureaucracy.

What is so difficult to understand? If we suspend belief for Spiderman, The Hulk and King Kong why can't we believe in this story?

I wonder whether some viewers are so addicted to the rhythm of plot driven movies to render them unable to appreciate a story like this, a story that sees the world through the eyes of a child who knows nothing of what we know. If you are one of those, go read somewhere else. I am not going to give you a synapse but my humble opinion on its meaning and possibly its intent. Or more surely, what I got out of it.

The beauty of this movie lies in Hushpuppy, a child young enough to be nonjudgmental, and her vision of life and its inhabitants. She has her own wisdom and is, like all children, taking things quite literally.

At first the hand-held camera-work and insufficient light-fill to illuminate the deep shades gave me the impression that this was a documentary style movie, a story reporting the lives of a group of people living off the grid in some southern state of the United States. But when I understood that the "Beasts" of the title was not a judgment of the movie's humans and their poverty, their ignorance, their unsophistication- but only an alternate noun for "animals" which the protagonists calls both her pets and humans alike, I started seeing the movie for what it really is: A dream, a fantasy, an imaginary story that merged with the contemporary awareness of global warming, and so a low tech sci-fi prediction of how the world may soon become.

With that key I read most character's actions: the father figure who needs to train his child to survive, inciting her "to show her guns" and be self assured; the woman who teaches children the use of herbs to cure, the meaning of magic and mythology; the tolerance of the other adults for what, in a parallel reality, would definitively been child abuse. All this is righteously done to prepare the children to survive in a world that was(is?) going from merely hard to impossible.

Wink's seemingly unsentimental and insensitive behavior towards the little wee child makes then perfect sense and thus his letting go when she can keep at bay, the Aurochs (a metaphor for her still childlike imagination) and her ability to step out of that world and into that of an adult ("I've got to take care of mine now") is the proof that she had grown up enough to survive on her own.

Looking back to it, this movie is a miracle as improbable as that of La Vita é Bella, where Benigni infused humor in a story about the Holocaust without becoming offensive or demeaning. Beasts of a Southern Wild is able to merge a child's world with that of an adult; to make us see how the effects of global warming will challenge the lives of many; it is a comment and a reminder of Katrina, its victims and consequences; finally it is a poetic way of describing the world and its inhabitants, escaping the ugliness and despair of certain realities by converting it into hope, survival and beauty.

Traveling to Louisiana, and I don't mean N'Awlins, is like taking a trip outside the country. But it IS the country, and that's what makes it so utterly compelling a place to visit. The food and language are unique and so are the sensibilities. BEASTS is a splendid junket for people who want to wade in the swampland and appreciate for a brief spell of time the hardships and conviviality of the people in the Bathtub, which many will recall from the heartbreaking videos post-Katrina. There's a stubbornness and mysticism that seeps through the film. Unfortunately, the mysticism could have been less stark and graphic here, and by that I mean the "beasts" that are roused from ice. I won't spoil it, so see the film and you'll understand what I mean. The CGI comes off as cheesy, even from a child's perspective (which you're invited to take throughout the film). AfroPixFlix took a jaunt to the Big Easy right after seeing this and felt the need to feed this beast only six afro forks. And you? Bon appetite!

First and foremost - to the people who gave 1 or 2 stars:

The movie does not deserve this few stars, don't be silly. The only reason you give 1 or 2 stars is to make the overall rating go lower and to get people to read your review.

Now to the movie:

It tells a very unique magical story while the fantasy part isn't as big as you could assume from the cover. It's more about the little girl Hushpuppy and her dad who live a simple life. There are some beautiful moments and if you give the movie a chance and actually watch it, there's not much to regret since it will take you on a journey worth seeing.

Seen through the eyes of a young black girl (well played by Quvenzhané Wallis), a community in an island south of the Louisiana mainland struggles to get by. The seafood is plentiful but there is trouble after rainstorms as they are on the "wet" side of the levee.

There were times it was difficult to know which part of the story was real and which was part of the girl's imagination. Once this became more clear, this was an enjoyable and very unique film.

Some of the highlights include the intense relationship between the girl and her father; the trouble the community has with mainland authorities; and the community working together in its impoverished daily struggles while still being able to find good times now and then.

The directing by Benh Zeitlin is mystical and dreamy - quite appropriate for the subject matter. - dbamateurcritic

Blew away a screening room of industry professionals at the Producers' Guild New York. Far more interesting than the publicity and most published reviews. It's intensely visual, in a way that I associate with visual masterpieces like Avatar.

It's a world of 9 year old girl Hushpuppies and her neighbors and friends in a Louisiana Bayou. They are poor in a way most of us never have to face, incredibly spirited, and far more complicated characters than commonly met in film. They are constantly surprising us in what they do, where they go, and what their world looks like.

Quvenzhané Wallis is only nine years old, never acted before, and gives a performance worthy of an Oscar. She's never acted before, but Benh Zeitlin drew an amazing performance from her. The actors all come alive, as does the world they are filmed in.

the aurochs are also remarkable.

Somehow it doesn't feel fair to regard this as a film among other films - there's something very unique in the atmosphere and the visuals. There's a kind of trash-filled beauty in the locations, and a sense of vibrant life in the characters.

That said, the camerawork gave me motion sickness. But that might just be a me-problem.

It's quite saddening to watch a film about survival in a climate crisis a decade later, and see how we've learned nothing from it.

Apparently bell hooks wrote about this film back in the day, and criticized Hushpuppy for being yet another reincarnation of the Strong Black Woman -trope. I can kinda see that, as imagining this film with a small white girl as a lead does feel a bit off.

The film is one of those rare examples of every element being extraordinary. The acting, the directing, the script, the music is all superb and blend together to create the magical world of the bathtub. The film looks and sounds amazing. Everything is so beautifully shot, with a crispness and a warmth. The score is used sparingly and is never manipulative. This may be one of those movies that everyone raves about but gets overlooked come Oscar season because it doesn't have a big enough name attached to it or pandered to the Academy enough, but it could easily be nominated for at leave four or five awards. http://amandalovesmovies.com/2012/07/02/beasts-of-the-southern-wild/

This film is mildly recommended.

The aurochs are coming! The aurochs are coming! Now, just what are aurochs, you might ask? Why, they are the beasts of the southern wild. And what is Beasts of the Southern Wild, pray tell? That's a small independent film that has received much unheralded huzzahs by critics, most of which are undeserved, except for a remarkable performance for its lead role given by a young star and the debut of a gifted director.

This parable deals with the wake of a Katrina-like storm and the inhabitants of the bluest of blue bayou. Known as " the Bathtub " to its natives, however, " the Sewer " would be seem to be a more exacting label. Its people are trying to survive that force of nature which is coming their way, unleashing even more destruction upon this poverty-ridden community. With all of the hardship surrounding them, these are resilient people, whose strength and resolve is their primary method of survival. In the midst of the ramshackle housing and cluttered bits of debris stands our small courageous heroine and the film's narrator, a six-year old girl named Hushpuppy. Her life is far from good, although she has a more positive outlook about it than most.

Hushpuppy lives with her ill and abusive father, Wink. ( Yes, this is Louisiana country where people are called Little Jo or Walrus. No one here has normal names, only interesting unique labels. The stereotyping doesn't stop there. ) Hushpuppy's mother is gone, but Hushpuppy's hope to see her again is still burning red hot, even while the glaciers around her are, metaphorically, said to be melting. ( This will free those aforementioned Ice Age creatures known as aurochs, although the arrival of Scrat, in search for that evasive acorn, could have lightened up all this misery. ) Nature is out of balance and so is Hushpuppy's sad little life.

The film borders on preachy allegories about our environment and the politically correct, poor but stoic, characters whom make up the lowest 99% of our country's socio-economic population. The film's colorful ( as in redneck ) characters are mostly a drunken lot, dim- witted rubes who love each other and their moonshine even more. I, on the other hand, had very little patience and understanding about their actions and behaviors, a feeling that is directly opposite that of the film's director, newcomer Benh Zeitlin, who has a keen eye for the unflinching view of poverty run amok and a blind eye for the population at risk who seem to wallow in a self-imposed stupor throughout the film.

Yet, the earnestness of the project, the sheer dedication of the filmmaker and his accomplished cast of non-actors, and the underlying truth of its story keep the film reasonably compelling. The film brims over with strong atmospheric images by Zeitlin and the photography by Ben Richardson help to showcase a world of squalor and despair. Where Beasts of the Southern Wild ultimately comes apart is in its script by the director and his co- writer, Lucy Alibar. The plot is a shamble, as it goes on and on about the devastation and its literal demons that torment its citizenry. Its heavy-handed and ludicrous symbolism of the prehistoric beasts coming to loggerheads with the residents of 'the Bathtub" undermines the story.

The voice-over narration has a purposeful poetic lilt that is reminiscent of Malick's Days of Heaven approach. Yet coming from a six-year-old perspective, the words and her advanced vocabulary seem stilted and false. Hushpuppy may be wise beyond her years, but such an intelligent sage and waif continued to defy reality and subverts the film's good intentions. ( Enroll her in the gifted program already! )

Due to its smaller budget, Beasts of the Southern Wild uses non-actors which brings with it a gritty realism. Despite all of its awkward narration, the film is buoyed by the wonderful performance of the young Quvenzhané Wallis. Zeitlin's film would not have the impact without his perfect casting of this child in this role. With her wide-eyed innocence and her natural reactions to the environmental conditions around her, Wallis touches the heart of the film, instilling a fierceness and vulnerability to her role. Dwight Henry as her unsympathetic father also creates a fully realized character and their volatile relationship enhances an otherwise extremely grim and despairing film.

Beasts of the Southern Wild may not totally succeed in its goals, but the film boasts solid filmmaking and its raw intensity with its serious subject matter make it a noble effort worth seeing, especially for the talents of Zeitlin and Little Miss Wallis, who will undoubtedly have a bright future ahead of them. GRADE: B-

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A third of the way into this thing I told my companion that I'd bet money it was directed by some kid from New York out of film school who obviously did not grow up in the South and doesn't really know the South. Apparently i was correct. The picture is a bluff. Shallow, phony, underdeveloped characters. A lot of pretentious symbolism, shaky camera, and very annoying, distancing music (third rate Phllip Glass stuff, courtesy of the director). It strives for something in the vein of Terence Malick, I guess. Less than halfway through I didn't really care. A very long ninety minutes, only for the gullible. I'm a big fan of the kind of film this one pretends to be. I love Cassavetes and Malick and embrace all manner of cinema, from pulp to classic noir to art house and foreign cinema going back to the Silent Era. But I kinda hate this phony little movie. Even the little girl's performance is being highly overrated by those easily impressed and amused out there. You've been warned .