Once Upon A Time In The South
Health and safety guidelines were poorly maintained during shooting
JJ SAYS:
It’s difficult to know where to start. At its most basic, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the story of Hushpuppy, a young girl who lives with her father Wink in the Bathtub, a small impoverished community beyond the levees of New Orleans. After a prophesised storm hits the flood prone society, Hushpuppy and Wink must find a way to survive.
At its most complex, the movie is a meditation on nature, youth, growing up, human resilience, death, and so much more. The mysterious and vulnerable Bathtub is the perfect backdrop, and is partially responsible for enabling such a wide variety of thoughts to be explored. Its inherent susceptibility to nature allows the movie to change tone quickly, to be both funny and sad, uplifting and sobering, without ever feeling self contradictory or slight in the process.
Quvenzhané Wallis’s performance as Hushpuppy is what really elevates this movie, and I cannot imagine anyone else in the role. While I’ve said the film effectively touches on a vast array of themes, I’m not convinced it could have matched its ambition without her performance. She’s the lifeblood of the film, and so many of the emotions in the film stem from her, she is the one who is so close to nature, growing up, resilient, and ultimately she is the one who has to cope with death and destruction. Her performance is all the more affecting due to the fact we see most of the events from her eyes, meaning that as an audience we often share her confusion and awe. Wallis was only 5 when she auditioned, and only 6 when the movie was shot. Dwight Henry gives a similarly mesmerising performance as Wink, and the relationship between the two is astonishingly genuine. The rest of the cast is also superb and it’s worth mentioning that most of the actors in the movie were non-professional, giving the film an authenticity it might have lacked with familiar faces.
The script also adds to this sense of realism. Adapted by Lucy Alibar from her one-act play ‘Juicy and Delicious’, it is simple and to the point. While at times the script’s origins as a play show (events go relatively unexplained), this simplicity aids the cinematography and score in creating the unique and mysterious environment which these characters inhabit. The actions of The Bathtub community feel real, they’re not overly scripted or watered down, and it’s refreshing to watch.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a unique movie, and you’d be hard pushed not to be enchanted by its heart and sincerity.
====VERDICT====
Featuring a cast of unknown faces and a story which is part fantasy, part allegory (although of what, I’m not entirely sure), it feels unrestrained from normal conventions, and is all the more liberating for it.
3.5/4
CJ SAYS:
Anyone who knows my family knows that my sister is a bit of a drama queen; full of energy and never one to shy away from a scene. When I watched Beasts of the Southern Wild the other night I observed a very different drama queen altogether, one also full of vigour and confidence (and not far off the age of my younger sibling).
This drama queen goes by the name of Quvenzhané Wallis. Her realm lies amongst the gators and swamps of the wild Louisianan Bayou. She demands her audience’s attention, and, with servile obedience, I found myself obliging. While her age (she was six when the film was shot) would suggest she was a novice, her performance is that of a mighty sovereign. A cinematic Boudica.
Faced with a complex story, a predominantly middle-aged cast, scores of animals, pyrotechnics (not to mention the lead billing), Wallis never appears deterred by the enormity of the task. The film is seen mostly from her point of view with few scenes without the Cajun queen. Such a spotlight can only be craved by most actors, and here, this afro-haired missy grabs the opportunity to be centre-stage with both her dainty hands. She owns the screen. Absolutely nothing fazes her, even when face-to-face with a dinosaur-sized boar. Wallis has the innocence that can only be captured by a child, yet possesses the ferocity and wisdom of someone who has seen all there is to see. It is a performance far beyond her years but Wallis makes it look as easy peasy as lemon squeezy.
There are other reasons to watch Beasts, but the little leading lady steals the show. Director Benh Zeitlin has crafted an ambitious, moving triumph of Independent cinema. Much like Wallis’s Hushpuppy, Zeitlin exhibits a tenacity usually credited to those with far more experience.
====VERDICT====
A powerful tale. Like the storms or the Aurochs, this film has a profound impact on the viewer. Zetitlin’s debut is a marvel.
4/4
jjcjsays 