Beasts of the Southern Wild -- June 2012

A LOUISIANA STORY

When this year's Academy Award nominations came out, I was surprised to see Beasts of the Southern Wild on the list of Best Picture nominees and the name of Quvenzhané Wallis on the Best Actress list. The film was released in June of 2012, but I'd never even heard of it. It wasn't playing anymore in theaters, so I bought the DVD and have watched it twice. Since it's been talked about a good deal recently because of the Academy Awards, I thought it might be appropriate to review it.

Plugged In Online calls the picture "Sci Fi / Fantasy," and that seems an accurate classification. Beasts is a story told from the viewpoint of a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy, who lives in proximity to Wink, her father. Hushpuppy and Wink are residents of the Bathtub, a watery area in southern Louisiana separated from the rest of the state by a levee. Hushpuppy lives in her own house -- an old trailer on stilts near where Wink lives in his own shack. Hushpuppy's mother left the family some time ago, though Hushpuppy still "communicates" with her by means of an old sports jersey. Hushpuppy loves her life in the Bathtub, but she's faced with one major problem: Her Daddy Wink is very sick. In fact, he's dying.

In the Bathtub, survival is the name of the game, and a good bit of the time Hushpuppy has to take care of herself. A while back, Wink had left her for several days without saying where he was going or when he would be back. Hushpuppy says to herself, "If he doesn't come back soon, I'll have to start eating my pets." In the end she doesn't have to do that, as Wink does eventually return, but in the meantime she has to feed herself by cooking cat food, among other things. When Wink does reappear, he and Hushpuppy get into a tremendous argument. Wink slaps Hushpuppy in the face, and she responds by hitting him back and managing to knock him over because of his weakened condition. "When you die, I'm going to sit on your grave and eat birthday cake," she says to him angrily. Shortly thereafter Hushpuppy burns down her own trailer. She is wont to say, "The universe depends on everything fitting together just right." Hushpuppy becomes worried that she has done something wrong and has thrown the universe off kilter.

Not long after this the area is hit by a major storm, a hurricane reminiscent of Katrina. The residents of the Bathtub band together and help each other as much as they can. After the storm subsides, they learn that the fresh water in the bayous has been contaminated by salty sea water which is killing fish and plants. Wink comes up with the idea of dynamiting a hole in the levee and letting the excess salt water flow out of the Bathtub. They do this, but of course the governmental authorities take a dim view of their action, come and arrest them, and take them to a refugee center. The local residents soon manage to "bust out" and return to their homes in the Bathtub.

On the Plus Side

At the very least, the film is interesting and scenically beautiful. The compassion and camaraderie shared by the residents of the Bathtub, both black and white, are admirable. In many ways, the relationship between Hushpuppy and Wink is also admirable; despite their quarrels, they love each other deeply. Particularly interesting are the aurochs, the "beasts" of the title -- gigantic creatures that are migrating to the Bathtub because of the melting of the ice in polar regions. As for the acting, it is excellent. Quvenzhané Wallis (Her name is pronounced "kwa-ven-zhuh-nay), now nine, was six at the time of filming and is superb in the role of Hushpuppy. Dwight Henry, who plays Wink, had never acted before this film; he owned a bakery and deli across from the film company's office, read for the part, and got it. His performance is totally believable. The film was made for $1.8 million, a pittance today in comparison to a movie such as Life of Pi, which cost over $100 million to make. Good things can come out of small budgets.

On the Minus Side

The people of the Bathtub suffer many travails and are survivors, but they endure through their own efforts, without the help of any higher power. Hushpuppy speaks of the universe fitting together just right, but I heard no mention of who made that universe or why. In fact, God's name is used only as an epithet in combination with the word "d--n." There are a few other uses of unfortunate language as well.

Bottom Line: Beasts of the Southern Wild seems to me to have no clear underlying theme, but I'll leave it to you to judge that for yourself. The picture has received many positive reviews and has won a number of awards. But it also has its share of critics.

Film Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 3 stars