Review of Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) by Stuart K — 22 Jan 2016

Based on the play Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar, and the directorial debut of animator Benh Zeitlin. This low budget fantasy film caused a critical buzz upon release. Made for $1.8 million, using non-professional actors and filmed on 16mm film, this sparse and poetic film owes a massive debt of gratitude to Terrence Malick, but it has an old fashioned,  endearing ramshackle feel about it.

Set in Southern Louisiana, in a small run down bayou community called the Bathtub, which is cut off from the rest of the world by a levee. 6 year old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives with her hot tempered father Wink (Dwight Henry), who is slowly dying from a mystery illness, which he hasn't told Hushpuppy about.

After an argument, Wink vanishes, and then a massive storm wipes out most of Bathtub. Hushpuppy is reunited with Wink, but he's badly weakened, and the residents gather together on a floating pontoon until the waters go down.

But after Wink tries dynamiting the levee to get rid of the water, the authorities descend on the residents of Bathtub. It's a good idea for a film, with the philosophy that floods are caused by prehistoric creatures called "Aurochs" trapped in ice.

It's not a film for everyone, but it shows how a small minority live in America at the minute, it's a 21st Century take on a Tom Sawyer existence, but it has some great performances in it, especially from first timer Wallis, who on the basis of this, got the lead in the remake of Annie (2014).