Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry give star-making debut performances in Beasts of the Southern Wild (Courtesy of Slate)

I'm from a suburban town in Massachusetts, so to see areas like those in Beasts of the Southern Wild are in the same country as I am is a bit of a shocker. Last year's film festival sensation takes place in an underdeveloped Louisiana bayou that gets devastated by a storm. Seen through the eyes of six-year-old Hushpuppy and her father, Wink, the film follows their story of survival and their inspirational bond. 

The storm that comes floods the bayou, and leaves less than a dozen survivors. The community bands together to find food and build shelter. What they have no interest in is a rescue from mainland shelter workers. After their arrival following a mandatory evacuation, Hushpuppy sees the shelter as a fish tank with no water. The workers force Hushpuppy into neat apparel and neaten up her trademark mess of a hairdo. She looked beautiful in her new clothes, but different - out of her element. Hushpuppy wasn't meant to be a a proper schoolgirl. The doctors at the complex also try to perform a life-saving surgery on Wink, who wants no part of it. The survivors eventually escape from the facility back to their home, where the severity of Wink's sickness becomes clear.

Growing up in an unprivileged area made Hushpuppy a resourceful and outgoing youngster, but throughout the movie, we are reminded she is a little girl like any other. She still calls out to her mother every night hoping the two will meet for the first time since her birth. Wink is a harsh father to Hushpuppy. He yells at her, makes her stay in a different home, is verbally uninviting, and almost always has a bottle of liquor in hand. 

The fatherly side of Wink emerges in the face of the tragedy, though. He shows concern for Hushpuppy's fear of the storm the night it comes by shooting into the sky to scare the thunder away. He teaches Hushpuppy to catch a fish barehanded and how to "beast" a crab and eat it sans utensils. It's implied Wink wished Hushpuppy were a boy, calling her the future king of the bayou and making her show off her muscles, asking her "Who's the man?"in the process. Nonetheless, the flood and its aftermath awaken Wink's paternal instincts, developing him from a stereotypical single father in the backwoods of America to Beasts of the Southern Wild's tragic hero.

The movie is subtle, yet successful. It tells a concise and magical story in an hour and a half, and actually accomplishes a lot of storytelling in a rather short running time. Wallis is just a pleasure to watch, and Dwight Henry is yet another representative of the amazing supporting performances 2012's films had to offer. The onscreen chemistry between these two performers in so touching. What makes it even more touching is that both of these actors made their film debuts in Beasts, and were able to show professionalism remarkably. The musical score was also amazing. It was adventurous, curious, and conveyed the appropriate mood for the scenes.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is humbling, touching and original. The character development, score, and highly impressive and uplifting performances by its two leads make it worth a watch. Much like Winter's Bone, it features a courageous youngster, portrayed by an actress in her breakout role, in a story of survival in an undeveloped part of America. However, I argue that this is better than Winter's Bone, and congratulate Wallis, Henry, and writer-director Benh Zeitlin on their impressive feature film debuts.

Rating: 4.5/5