The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Beasts of the Southern Wild
The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Beasts of the Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is an impeccable example of storytelling that evokes the memories of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Like Their Eyes Were Watching God, the storytelling is rich, compelling, full of symbolism, and it is told through the somewhat unreliable perspective of a young Black girl. However, in this version, the audience doesn’t get to see the girl grow up, or at least, not in…
Hushpuppy: I see that I am a little piece of a big, big universe, and that makes it right.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly
Written by Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
Directed by Benh Zeitlin
Plot: The world as seen through the eyes of a brave little girl who lives in a bayou community with her father as they face a major flood.
"Old fashion storytelling at its best... A spectacular performance by Quvenzhané Wallis makes the film really special."
Starring: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly
Description: Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.
Quote: "I see that I am a little piece of a big, big universe, and that makes it right."
Review: An amazing performance by Quvenzhané Wallis (who at the time was 6 years old with no acting experience) in a fantastic and touching directorial debut for Benh Zeitlin. Reminiscent of Malick's The Tree Of Life.
Starring: Quvenzhane Wallis, Dwight Henry, and Levy Easterly
Overall Score: 20/20 A+
13/365 Movies Completed
Brief Summary - Hushpuppy has always lived in the Bathtub - a ramshackle bayou community. But when the melting ice caps cause a sudden storm that floods her home, she is forced to adjust to life with her angry father and learn to be courageous for herself and others.
Directing - (5/5) The directing in this movie was phenomenal to say the least. The nature shots were gorgeous and the production design was really acurate with all the dirty water and rusty old houses. I liked how Zeitlin used close up shots to really convey the emotions that crossed everyone's face instead of trying to do it in an over-the-top way.
Performance - (5/5) Never have I seen a movie where the performances were so flawless without the actors reciting too many lines. Literally several minutes would pass and no one would say a word, but the audience was still able to catch on to what the characters were feeling because of the facial expressions that actors gave off. Wallis was amazing; I think her exquisite acting at such a young age is a revelation to Hollywood. Henry was also another good performer who was able to juggle the anger and the subtle caring that was crucial in his character.
Script - (5/5) There was very little dialogue in the movie, but every word exchanged was meaningful - there was no excess. I appreciated the reality of the dialogue; how after a natural disaster like that there are very little words to be spared among others. The plot was marvelous and was able to take a tragic event that a lot of people can relate to, and turn it into a beautiful film about courage and love.
Character Development - (5/5) It's hard not to feel immediately attached to a young girl like Hushpuppy, with her mature understanding off the world combined with her naivety of how things in the real world work. Her relationship with her father was complicated beyond relief - in the first fifteen minutes of the film was the span of time in which I detested Wink. But shortly after experiencing his way of trying to care for Hushpuppy, I became more understanding, and even began to love who he was. The greatest thing about this character development was that it was all subtle; I didn't know it was happening until after it did happen.
Overall Opinion - I was more than happy to give this film a perfect score. This movie was riveting - it was a very humbling experience just to watch a film like this. It warmed my heart at certain points and that had me close to tears at another. It was a roller coaster of emotions and it would be a waste of your life not to see this movie.
So, I have wanted to see this film since I first read about it while it was being filmed, heard all of the hype, missed a brief opportunity to see it in the theater this summer and have now finally seen it online. I'm glad to have had the chance to forget some of the buzz and hype and to see it relatively bias free.
Quvenzhané Wallis is a natural actress and commands the screen. The aesthetic and visual continuity are strong throughout and the melding of the child's fantasy level justifications with real life events and consequences feels unforced. Well worth seeing.
