R W
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Joined: 23/6/2006
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There is nothing more powerful than a child’s imagination and when done properly in a cinematic way, it becomes a masterstroke of storytelling, as previously shown in Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth and Spike Jonze’s more child-friendly Where the Wild Things Are. Taking its cue from Lucy Alibar’s one-act play Juicy and Delicious, Benh Zeitlin’s directorial debut is an arthouse drama that is both ecological and magical.
Set in a bayou community on an island surrounded by rising water which its residents refer to as the “Bathtub”, six-year old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives with her hot-tempered father, Wink (Dwight Henry). As the rundown area is flooded by a mighty storm, Hushpuppy sets off on a mission to reclaim their fund.
From its pre-title sequence showing the poster shot of Hushpuppy running in the night with a pair of lit roman candles, we see a gritty and muddy world through the eyes of a little girl, who lets her imagination run wild to escape from the harshness of the reality. Although Hushpuppy is in nearly every frame as she goes off on a perilous journey on her own, from start to finish the story centralises on the relationship between her and Wink, who is practically destroying himself.
Prior to this film, the two leads were never actors and yet with this, they bring out extraordinary performances and are the heart of the piece. Dwight Henry is mostly seen a scary presence as he has a violent behaviour towards her daughter and at times wanting to pick a fight with her. However, given the environment they are both living in and after the flood, he is preparing her for what is to come as a grown-up, while his self-destruction could be an early end for him. As for the young newcomer, Quvenzhané Wallis is a revelation that, despite her age, isn’t afraid and tries to face forces that are beyond her, but when it comes to the tragic climax, hopefully tears will fall.
For his directorial debut, Benh Zeitlin is telling an ecological tale about survival through a post-Katrina environment, whilst presenting a level of magical realism. Despite its low budget, there is great spectacle as there is a recurring nightmare of Hushpuppy’s of giant warthogs escapes from the ice and travels across the globe on a pursuit to her. As most fantasy films require large amounts of CGI to create imaginative imagery, Zeitlin subtly shows Hushpuppy’s thoughts about her missing mother, as is she is this non-facial presence with something spiritual happen to the home.
Subtle but imaginative, dark but beautiful, Beasts of the Southern Wild has been much loved festivals, and hopefully will find its place with the mainstream.
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Beasts Of The Summer Wild - 
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