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kilowog [Film Festival 01.26.12] drama fantasy

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Year: 2012
Directors: Benh Zeitlin
Writers: Benh Zeitlin & Lucy Alibar
IMDB: link
Trailer: N/A
Review by: kilowog
Rating: 9 out of 10

The overwhelming number of films at Sundance 2012 quickly become irrelevant when focusing on the breathtaking debut feature of filmmaker Behn Zeitlin with what is undoubtedly the most festival's talked about film, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD. Zeitlin set out to take on the three major don'ts of moviemaking: don't shoot on water, don't shoot with children, and don't shoot with animals. Luckily for us, he did all three, delivering a cinematic experience that will be felt and referenced for years to come.

Our story focuses in on an isolated and fictional community called "The Bathtub" (shot in Louisiana and feeling every bit like the bayou that it is). It's surprising to believe that only a six year old girl named Hushpuppy (played exquisitely by Quvenzhane Wallis) and her coming of age tale could command one's highest level of attention but in this visionary Malick-like feature it does so, and then some. Living in a ramshackle home on the wrong side of levee near (note: near, not with) her alcoholic father Wink (Dwight Henry), Hushpuppy spends every waking moment being prepared for the coming apocalypse amidst a community strung together by scrap metal and fueled by booze and splendid levels of jubilant celebration. As she does so, Wink pointedly shares touching stories about her absent mother, and later forces her to grow up well before her time as he takes ill; setting her off an inevitable journey on the water thanks to a well-expected flood. Intent on finding her mother, this little girl encounters the beasts of the world with an understanding that even though uncertainty lies ahead she possesses the strength to overcome it.

BEASTS often breaks into the metaphysical with Hushpuppy believing that there exists an imbalance in the universe and it is her fault. It's with her beliefs coupled by a very healthy dose of voiceover that may well at times leave you feeling educated rather than entertained, but don't let that hold you back from seeking this unique film out when it hits your local arthouse theater. After all, there's nothing wrong with a solid education.



Not one actor in the film is a professional, and Zeitlin wanted it that way. In doing so, what he's managed to place onto the screen is a adventure that won't be forgotten and one that plays to the bonding love between a father and daughter, never letting us forget that our time on earth is precious and whether we want to believe it or not, we cannot focus on what's lost, only what is to be gained.

The film is balanced out by a score that exists on a unique plane of nuance and delicacy as well as a level of cinematography that zeroes in on a wholly relevant style that makes you breathe Bathtub in the way that you would the sweaty Creole air of a Louisiana swamp. If there is one thing to be said about BEASTS OF A SOUTHERN WILD, it's that it sets a new standard of indie filmmaking, even if that standard seems to reset itself every couple of years.


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rek (3 weeks ago) Reply

• How is it possible there's no trailer?
• Your IMDB link just leads back to this page.


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