Guest Review by Kyle Kuzemchak
Quvenzhane Wallis steals the show as Hushpuppy, and this is coming from a person who normally cannot stand child actors. The eight-year-old lights up the screen with her independent attitude and her blaring charisma. She is perfectly matched by her Dwight Henry, who plays her father/mentor, Wink. Henry is a baker from New Orleans, who used these skills to help him grow closer with Wallis on set. Wallis apparently had issues feeling comfortable around the first few actors who were cast as Wink. But when Henry showed up with a box full of cookies and brownies and cinnamon buns for the young actress, they immediately hit it off, and the chemistry is obvious, and helps increase the believability of the film.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is an American independent film that is the winner of the Grand Jury prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and was also a highlight of the Cannes Film Festival in France. Driven by outstanding characters and complex, underlying tones, the film makes up for its slow pace with beautiful cinematography, depth, and plenty of emotion.
Beasts tells the story of a young girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) and depicts her life at her home in a small river town called the Bathtub. The Bathtub is secluded from the rest of the world because of a blockade used to keep the water away from the cities. The town may be secluded, but the inhabitants love their homes and their tight community, and as Hushpuppy innocently explains, she likes it because they “have more holidays than all other places”. As the town is hit by a massive storm and Hushpuppy and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), along with a select band of others remain to rebuild on top of the water, the sense of community shines.
The story strongly focuses on the relationship between Hushpuppy and Wink. Wink is shown as a strong, strict man, who yells at and hits his young daughter, yet there always seems to be more to him than his rough exterior, and it becomes obvious that his actions are out of love. Wink is only trying to help his daughter to survive in their harsh, changing world, and he constantly encourages her by telling her “she’s the man”. And this is where the strongest tone of the film is developed, as Wink gets sick and knows that Hushpuppy will soon be on her own. Hushpuppy must now learn as much as she can from her father in order to survive in her new world, developing a sense of pride and inner strength, while still realizing that she can fall back on the community.
Beasts tells the story of a young girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) and depicts her life at her home in a small river town called the Bathtub. The Bathtub is secluded from the rest of the world because of a blockade used to keep the water away from the cities. The town may be secluded, but the inhabitants love their homes and their tight community, and as Hushpuppy innocently explains, she likes it because they “have more holidays than all other places”. As the town is hit by a massive storm and Hushpuppy and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), along with a select band of others remain to rebuild on top of the water, the sense of community shines.
The story strongly focuses on the relationship between Hushpuppy and Wink. Wink is shown as a strong, strict man, who yells at and hits his young daughter, yet there always seems to be more to him than his rough exterior, and it becomes obvious that his actions are out of love. Wink is only trying to help his daughter to survive in their harsh, changing world, and he constantly encourages her by telling her “she’s the man”. And this is where the strongest tone of the film is developed, as Wink gets sick and knows that Hushpuppy will soon be on her own. Hushpuppy must now learn as much as she can from her father in order to survive in her new world, developing a sense of pride and inner strength, while still realizing that she can fall back on the community.
The film shows that a child is not always innocent and happy, and that they can have serious issues and can be greatly impacted by their environment. But by learning independence and self-reliance and strength, Hushpuppy begins to understand that just because something goes wrong, does not mean the world is ending. This message makes you feel lucky to be alive despite any problems in your life, while making you think of the bigger picture, your place in the universe, and how you can use your own skills to help make the world a better place. The writers do a fantastic job of developing this young girl into a mature, complicated person, by managing to put the audience in her shoes with relatable issues.
Quvenzhane Wallis steals the show as Hushpuppy, and this is coming from a person who normally cannot stand child actors. The eight-year-old lights up the screen with her independent attitude and her blaring charisma. She is perfectly matched by her Dwight Henry, who plays her father/mentor, Wink. Henry is a baker from New Orleans, who used these skills to help him grow closer with Wallis on set. Wallis apparently had issues feeling comfortable around the first few actors who were cast as Wink. But when Henry showed up with a box full of cookies and brownies and cinnamon buns for the young actress, they immediately hit it off, and the chemistry is obvious, and helps increase the believability of the film.
Not to be outshined by the two fantastic debut actors is the debut director, Benh Zeitlin. Zeitlin not only convincingly created a believable post-apocalyptic, secluded town for his film, he also co-wrote the script, and even more impressively, co-wrote the fantastic soundtrack. The slightly shaky and dark camerawork gives the film an unsettling feeling, yet still manages to be uplifting. The soundtrack stands out in many places, especially at the end of the film, with a very rootsy, blues-driven, New Orleans sound. Zeitlin has emerged from this film as extremely talented in almost every aspect of filmmaking.
All this being said, this film is not for everyone. Its pacing is very slow, and its mythological and apocalyptic undertones can be confusing in a film that seems to try to be uplifting. The pacing, however, is saved by the runtime, as the film sits at a little over ninety minutes, so it does not feel like it drags on for too long. And the mythological and apocalyptic subplots only aid in the development of the character and the overall theme of independence and strength.
All this being said, this film is not for everyone. Its pacing is very slow, and its mythological and apocalyptic undertones can be confusing in a film that seems to try to be uplifting. The pacing, however, is saved by the runtime, as the film sits at a little over ninety minutes, so it does not feel like it drags on for too long. And the mythological and apocalyptic subplots only aid in the development of the character and the overall theme of independence and strength.
It is a film that once it is over, will need to settle. Viewers will need to think back at some of the important narrated lines of Hushpuppy to fully grasp the messages of the film. Beasts of the Southern Wild is easily one of the best dramas of the year, and marks a strong debut for a flourishing director/writer/composer and an adorable eight-year-old force of nature. To loosely quote Hushpuppy, I hope that in million years, when kids go to school, they will know that once there was a Hushpuppy and she lived with her father in the Bathtub.
Final Word: Go Buy a Ticket
Final Word: Go Buy a Ticket
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