I was looking forward to Beasts and for the first few joyous minutes of the film (before the title came up) I thought the hype just might be justified. If only. Once the title image faded the film went into a slow fade as well, with only one little lift in a bar-room scene towards the end. I left feeling sucked in once again by critic group-think and the over-enthusiasm of cinematic innocents.
I don't want to be overcritical of this film. It does have some points of mystery and intrigue. It does have some good performances. And it does showcase the talents of director Benh Zeitlin. But it just isn't what it's been cracked up to be.
Above all, it isn't a fable about climate change, despite the heavy- handed script. The storm, and the ice melts and the aurochs are symbols for I don't know what. In fact, if you know how the aurochs were created these creatures seem silly beyond belief - cute and ridiculous rather than relentless and threatening as they were no doubt intended to be.
Truth be told, I don't know what this film is about. It could be a parable about the dangers of alcohol, because most of the main adult characters seem to be drunk all the time. It could be a story about the lifestyle of bayou dwellers, though if I lived in those swampy backwaters I would be pretty annoyed by how I was being portrayed in this film. It could be a tale about the importance of community, except most the residents of the Bathtub seem to light out before the storm hits, leaving just the most stubborn, or stupid, or inebriated to regroup in an orgy of squalor, appalling personal hygiene and disgusting table habits. It could be all of these things, or none. But one thing it isn't is exceptional.
I don't want to be overcritical of this film. It does have some points of mystery and intrigue. It does have some good performances. And it does showcase the talents of director Benh Zeitlin. But it just isn't what it's been cracked up to be.
Above all, it isn't a fable about climate change, despite the heavy- handed script. The storm, and the ice melts and the aurochs are symbols for I don't know what. In fact, if you know how the aurochs were created these creatures seem silly beyond belief - cute and ridiculous rather than relentless and threatening as they were no doubt intended to be.
Truth be told, I don't know what this film is about. It could be a parable about the dangers of alcohol, because most of the main adult characters seem to be drunk all the time. It could be a story about the lifestyle of bayou dwellers, though if I lived in those swampy backwaters I would be pretty annoyed by how I was being portrayed in this film. It could be a tale about the importance of community, except most the residents of the Bathtub seem to light out before the storm hits, leaving just the most stubborn, or stupid, or inebriated to regroup in an orgy of squalor, appalling personal hygiene and disgusting table habits. It could be all of these things, or none. But one thing it isn't is exceptional.