Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

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.

Director:

Benh Zeitlin

Writers:

Lucy Alibar (screenplay), Benh Zeitlin (screenplay),

Stars:

Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 63 wins & 61 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Quvenzhané Wallis	...	Hushpuppy
Dwight Henry	...	Wink
Levy Easterly	...	Jean Battiste
Lowell Landes	...	Walrus
Pamela Harper	...	Little Jo
Gina Montana	...	Miss Bathsheba
Amber Henry	...	LZA
Jonshel Alexander	...	Joy Strong
Nicholas Clark	...	Boy with Bell
Joseph Brown	...	Winston
Henry D. Coleman	...	Peter T
Kaliana Brower	...	T-Lou
Philip Lawrence	...	Dr. Maloney
Hannah Holby	...	Open Arms Babysitter
Jimmy Lee Moore	...	Sgt. Major

Storyline

Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he's no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

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Plot Keywords:

auroch | six year old | community | bayou | tough love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and brief sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 July 2012 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Bestias del sur salvaje

Filming Locations:

Montegut, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$169,702 (USA) (29 June 2012)

Gross:

$12,784,397 (USA) (15 March 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinereach, Court 13 Pictures, Journeyman Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Wink reaches down in the river to show Hushpuppy how to catch a fish with his bare hand, a member of the production crew almost died swimming under water to facilitate this "fishing" feat.

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Goofs

When Hushpuppy's dad poured drinks for him and Hushpuppy, he placed the plastic container cup in front of him and a cup with handle for Hushpuppy. Hushpuppy is seen drinking from the cup with handle, but the next shot her dad is drinking from Hushpuppy's cup, and then the next shot is the plastic container cup, then the one with handle again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hushpuppy: All the time, everywhere, everything's hearts are beating and squirting, and talking to each other the ways I can't understand. Most of the time they probably be saying: I'm hungry, or I gotta poop.
[listening to bird's heartbeat]
Hushpuppy: But sometimes they be talkin' in codes.

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Connections

Featured in The 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Valse De Balfa"
Performed by The Lost Bayou Ramblers
Written by Will Balfa
Published by Flat Town Music Company (BMI)

User Reviews

A Revelation

What a gorgeous film. I saw this last Saturday night and was instantly in love. With family from the bayou, which is where this film takes place, I marveled at how rich and accurate the dialog was. The acting lacked in several of the supporting parts, but wow! there was no acting prowess lacking in the two main characterizations of the film (I also enjoyed the acting by Gina Montana as Miss Bathsheeba).

Dwight Henry is truly something in his turn as the protagonist Hushpuppy's father, Wink. He is convincing in every facet of his reasonably complex portrayal of a confused and directionless father. He is frightening when angry, smile-inducing when kind, and heartbreaking when both. You may say, "Well, he's just playing himself." In response, "He's not. He may be a father, but he lives in New Orleans and had to be convinced to audition because he couldn't afford to not work at the small bakery he owns in the 7th Ward to go across the street and read for the producers and director." He's a revelation who has unfortunately already stated that regardless of what happens, he's pretty much done acting. What a shame.

Anyway moving on, the real revelation is Quvenzhane Wallis as the protagonist, a girl named Hushpuppy. Never having acted before, she really is something else. Many child acting performances receive acclaim because they are children and you simply don't expect children to be able to act at all much less some. In Wallis's case, she, a 9 year old I believe, deserves any award nominations and perhaps wins she may receive somewhere down the line this year. She acts better than half the paid bodies on celluloid these days and she too lives a normal life in a town, not one in the swamp. The only comparable performance to which I can liken hers in terms of prowess and general effect is that of 9-year- old Justin Henry and the fabulous portrayal he gave in Kramer vs. Kramer. Garland in The Wizard of Oz is too old as is Peggy Ann Garner in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The difference between Wallis and Henry, however, is that Henry was a supporting player in a film in which his other 3 main actors were nominated for acting Oscars, with Hoffman and Streep winning and Alexander losing to Streep. Henry, of course, lost to Douglas though he should have lost to Duvall instead. Conversely, Wallis is required to carry an entire film. She is present in probably 80% of the fantastic film and she is magnetic. I don't usually have an issue with voice-overs in a film, but there are a few instances where I have almost pulled my hair out because they were so bad. Not the case here. Much of Wallis's lines, especially early on, are said via voice-over. This just makes Wallis's job even more difficult. She has to act convincingly without saying much of anything and simultaneously has to make the voice-over sound interesting so that people don't bludgeon themselves to death. It's an understatement to say that she succeeds completely. Her voice-over melds eerily perfectly with everything that she does on screen, something that the cinematographer, film editor, and sound editor also all deserve major kudos for.

One more thing, first-time director Benh Zeitlin's direction is brilliant, though elongated at a few points. His ability to tell the story effectively basically nullifies every issue with his pacing. Many films with child protagonists are hard to follow because the director fails to effectively engulf the viewer in the child's point of view. Therefore, the following "childish" plot action is seen as confusing or stupid or both. Zeitlin and his amazingly competent crew completely succeed at bringing the viewer in the mind of Hushpuppy. We see her father like she sees her father. We see Miss Bathsheeba like she sees Miss Bathsheeba. The sharply divided opinions about the shaky camera- work are unnecessary. The camera work is shaky, but so it the mind of a child. Their minds are constantly flitting back and forth between one thing and the next, they're swaying to and fro, like the camera. Just another way to interpret the inventive camera work is this: Hushpuppy is trying to find her place in the world just like she is trying to find her place in the camera view.

In closing, Benh Zeitlin, please work your magic many times again, preferably sometime soon. This is the best film of the year thus far, and I will be hard pressed to keep my mind open enough to find a film that I think is better than this come September, October, November, and December Oscar season.