Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) by Spangle — 27 Jul 2016
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a very, very interesting film. It can be great and powerful, but it can also be incredibly meandering and overly confusing. For the most part, these elements are divided between the two halves of the film.
The first half is slow, unfocused, and hard to grasp. The second half is powerful, down to earth, and a moving look at this girl in her crazy town. Though the townsfolk can be deeply annoying and overtly alcoholic, their encounters are still unique and crazy enough to be oddly endearing.
Quvenzhané Wallis made me want to smack her at times for being so damn annoying, but at other times, she was a brilliant actress with incredible nuance. There is a happy medium somewhere, but luckily, her performance was still quite good, even if annoying at times.
The film is an interesting blend of fantasy and drama, while being set in post-Katrina Louisiana that is still under constant threat of hurricanes. Sadly, the film's unwillingness to teach the audience about its setting and its characters beyond little exposition is really unfortunate and holds the film back.
This review of Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) was written by Spangle on 27 Jul 2016.
Beasts of the Southern Wild has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
