Monday, April 1, 2013

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Director-Benh Zeitlin
Rated-PG-13
Length-93 min.
This inspirational tale delves into a multitude of controversial issues ranging from poverty and alcoholism to global warming and the meaning of life. Through all the hardship, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) provides audience members with an astonishing sense of strength and hope. This story takes place within the southernmost part of Louisiana, and depicts the poverties that Hushpuppy and her alcoholic father, Wink (Dwight Henry) face on a daily basis. The poverty line is strictly divided by the water levee that disallows ocean water into the coast, where the rest of society resides. When the "Bathtub" or their little slice of heaven floods because of the levee, reality truly sets in. The clash between reality and fiction is hard to distinguish in some cases, for we are often allowed inside the mind of young Hushpuppy and her dreams of enormous hogs making their way down south and memories of her long lost mother are scarcely defined. This distinction could be made more obvious if Director Benh Zeitlin was more definitive with what is real and what is not; for I am still unsure at the film's conclusion. The optimistic outcome of this film is unfortunately overshadowded by the reality of homelessness and abandonment. I think Quvenzhane did a fantastic job for an actress of her age, and was very deserving of her youngest ever nomination for Best Actress; however, it was still not quite enough to lift this film to its full potential. Beasts of the SouthernWild.

 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers