Ryan McNeil
As we arrive at various crossroads on our life’s path, choosing which way to walk can be truly daunting. Sometimes it can be so daunting in fact, that we would rather just stand at that junction in the comfort of familiarity. Worse, some might even be tempted to turn around and go back. But for those strong enough to make a choice…to understand what has brought us to the point of decision and know the effect of whatever comes next…the road can reward us with strength and perspective. It’s finding the courage to move forward that’s the hardest part.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD brings us to a fictional community in the Southern Delta called The Bathtub. It’s a place at one with its natural surroundings, including the fact that a good rain can isolate it and wash out most of its roadways. The Bathtub is home to a community that seems rather poor, but are rich in spirit. They are so rich in fact, that we are told The Bathtub has more holidays than the rest of the world.
The Bathtub is where young Hushpuppy lives (Quvenzhané Wallis). Hushpuppy is studious, curious, and spirited. She believes that her existence is meaningful, because every little piece of the universe is in place to work with all of the other pieces. So even though she might seem to live an inconsequential life to a casual observer, she goes about her ways undeterred in the belief that she is here for a purpose.
Hushpuppy’s only blood family member is her father Wink (Dwight Henry). Wink’s fathering skills are somewhat spotty – he’s not always thinking long-term – but he clearly loves Hushpuppy and wants to raise her to be as strong a woman as her mother was. The tale of Hushpuppy’s mother is a wonderful one, one that I wouldn’t want to spoil here, but I will say that if Wink can bring her up to be any bit as strong as her mother, then he will have done his job.
One day though, The Bathtub is threatened by a truly harsh storm – one that washes out their community even worse than usual. It pushes people to make a tough choice on whether they should stay or whether they should flee. And for those that do – including Wink and Hushpuppy – riding out the storm is just the beginning of a truly tough life-challenge.
So much of what makes BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD so memorable is the world that it takes us to. The Bathtub seems familiar – partially by design of course since much of the film leans on Gulf Coast allusions. But while it seems like you could find yourself driving through The Bathtub if you took Rte 90 out of New Orleans, the people and the places that we see in this community have an indigenous quality to them unlike anything else in North America. They are natives, foragers, hunters, gatherers, artisans, and people who believe in honouring the land they live on. In short, despite that familiarity I mentioned the world this film creates is like nowhere in our world. So if nothing else, the time we spend in The Bathtub – both when it is flourishing, and later when it floods – creates a lot of goodwill in its aesthetic.
The warm light at the centre of The Bathtub’s universe is Hushpuppy, and how she is at once truly innocent and wildly independent. Listening to Wallis’ narration, we hear the voice of a little girl who is wise beyond her years. Now it’s easy to assume that she is saying what she says in hindsight, and thus has matured from the events of the film. Still, it feels like we are listening to her just a year or two after this story, meaning that she is still very young when she tells us the tale. Like the duality of the newness/familiarity of The Bathtub, the duality of Hushpuppy’s innocence and maturity is truly moving. She is very much defined by the fact that her mother never stuck around, but rather than cry for her mother, she thinks about her, keeps her in her heart, and draws strength from the desire to see her someday.
As I immersed myself in these storytelling elements, I started falling pretty hard for the story. It probably helped that I saw the film while vacationing away from home, which echoed the notion of being taken to a far-away place. After all, that’s what we want from movies isn’t it? To be lifted from our seats and transported to parts of this world that we might not see, or might not even exist? To that end, this film was a jubilant journey; on filled with richness and life that is one of the best experiences I’ve given myself over to all year.
However, eventually the film arrives at a hang-up for me. Without going too far into detail, the story goes somewhere familiar. Now it seems hard to hold the movie’s feet to the fire for being familiar, since so many of the films I watch from day-to-day seem familiar in some way or another. However, after spending so much time soaking up moment after moment that I’ve never seen before, crashing into a moment I have feels rather jarring. To the film’s credit, it doesn’t linger on this moment, and has more supple delights to give the audience before the lights come up…still, it’s a strike against the film I can’t ignore.
That said, the one strike of “familiarity” is overcome by the film’s overall effect. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD might seem facile, but it leaves the viewer with a lot to soak up. Heck, ordinarily I write about the movies I watch within a few days, but for BEASTS I couldn’t articulate myself on the matter for almost two whole weeks. I’ve wanted to, but I just haven’t been able to get a grip on my feelings about it, and I’m firmly of the belief that such uncertainty is a good thing in cinema.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is a bittersweet ode to life – the life of this planet, and the life of the people who inhabit it. It wants to take us to a part of the planet where our lives and the life of the earth are more in balance than it is in the towns and cities we live in, where all we do is take. It wants us to consider our own lives, to understand their fragility and honour just how much of who we are comes from those that came before us. The film does all of this with lushness, joy, and soul, and in a time where so much of what we consume feels familiar, we should really celebrate the rare moments of true originality like this.
Really like the first hour of the film, the performances, the visual, original story, the score. It didn’t work as well in the last half hour, especially it goes in allegory mode. Feels very heavy-handed and not necessary. Still I am very glad to see it.
Someone mentions that Where the Wild Things Are should look and feel like THIS. Can’t disagree with that assessment.
Yeah, I got a very Maurice Sendak vibe from this film myself (and on a related note, think I must be one of the very few who still like that Spike Jonze film).
There were things in the film’s conclusion I liked, but I won’t spoil too much. (Even though this is the comment section of one of my lower-read posts). I will say that it was only when we seem to take a hard turn back to “the real world” that I was less interested.
Looking forward to seeing this again.
Beautiful review. I’m very curious about BOTW; it’s probably the best-reviewed film of the year (so far), along with Moonrise Kingdom.
Watch out for those best reviewed movies amigo – sometimes they can make for the biggest letdowns!
You’re right about that. It happened to me recently with The Avengers. I’ll avoid letting my expectations get too high.
Yeah, I can understand that – but somehow a critical letdown is a little bit worse than a commercial letdown. There have been dozens of films that tear it up commercially (like THE AVENGERS) that I come to with a shrug. hearing fellow cinephiles rave on about something smaller and not parroting the love myself is a bit of an odder feeling.
Yeah, that has happened to me as well. It’s a strange feeling alright. Precious is an example. I just couldn’t get into it.
Awesome review! We’re really excited to see this one. (It wasn’t in our theatre long enough to catch it so we’ll catch it on DVD) We love your site so we are giving you the Liebster Award! Claim it here! http://www.twoticketsfor.com/2012/07/the-liebster-award.html
Thanks for the Liebster folks! I have much of the next week or two’s worth of posts mapped out, but I’ll try to pass it on as soon as I can.
Do catch up with this film, as it’s definitely one of the best of the summer’s indie crop (along with MOONRISE KINGDOM). Pity it wasn’t in your theatre very long – wherabouts are you two from?
Great review Ryan. I saw this back at Sydney Film Fest in June (back-back with MOONRISE KINGDOM)and bits of it still linger with me (mostly the soundtrack and visuals rather than the story). I really liked it, but I found the final act to be quite a let-down after being so completely immersed in such a rich and vibrant world.
A double-feature of BEASTS and MOONRISE? Talk about moviegoing bliss!
I know what you mean about that slight letdown – my own hesitations are what kept me from writing about it for almost two weeks. Well that, and me being out-of-town and not wanting to write. But as the days passed, those hesitations fell away…leaving me with this feeling of wonder:
The same feeling I used to get when I finished a storybook as a kid…
Good review, man. I pretty much agree with your sentiments. It still blows my mind that nearly *everyone* involved in this project were absolute beginners. Neither Wallis nor Henry had any prior acting experience, and of course, this is Zeitlin’s first full-length film. Very impressive.
It’s also cool to see Wallis get a new gig already with a small role in Steve McQueen’s new film. She has a very bright future ahead of her.
When I read about Wallis working with McQueen next, I was quite happy to hear it myself. Here’s hoping she hooks up with the right people and is able to mature gracefully in front of the camera – should she choose so.
And yeah, the fact that this was created by such a young braintrust is almost unfair.
Fantastic review Ryan. I enjoyed BEASTS, and like Sam, watched it back-to-back with MOONRISE KINGDOM. I was really immersed in the film, but I felt like things got a bit wayward in the second half. The world-building was so intriguing, the tech work so innovative, the performances so strong, and it was bursting with originality, but I didn’t leave feeling as moved as I expected. I swore I’d watch it again, and I will when it hits screens. I sense I might enjoy it even more this time.
I don’t know why I never asked this before, but have you ever thought about doing a podcast with Sam?
I know what you mean about a disconnect coming in the second half; it’s the reason I’m just a bit hesitant on it where I’d usually be effusive, and part of the reason I held off on writing about it for almost two weeks. I don’t think it’s enough to ruin the film’s overall effect – just something that holds it back from pure genius.
Best movie of the year? Or best movie of the year?
I’ll admit that I have mild bias here (the film was made by friends of two of my old high school acquaintances), but I was prepared to be disappointed by this because wouldn’t that just be the way? Amazingly, I wasn’t, and more than that it actually exceeded the hype that’s been brewing around it. I’d been looking forward to this since Badass Digest posted a glowing Sundance review (before I found out about the high school connection), and it didn’t let me down one bit.
Wallis is incredible here, and that could have been the big story here because, yeah, she’s really that good. It’s a performance so natural, charming, fierce, vulnerable, and determined that it probably has much more veteran performers turning green with envy. She’s matched well by Dwight Henry– who, as I understand it, owned a bakery nearby the studio and was basically cajoled into auditioning– and together they provide the film with much of its backbone.
But it’s Zeitlin who gives Beasts its body, an expression of down-home, rustic to the bone Americana blended together with a healthy dose of magical realism. Nothing ever truly defies criticism, but this is a movie that really needs to be felt first and coldly analyzed second; it’s meant to be experienced rather than dissected. One of my favorites of the year without much question, and I’d love to see it again.
I’m with you – considering the mild critical discourse that was surrounding this film when I went into it, I was prepared to really dislike it. How wrong I was!
I’m still in awe by the natural manner between henry and Wallis – and even some of the secondary characters like Gina Montana as the teacher, and Jovan Hathaway in that Bordello. Everybody seems to be doing what they do so effortlessly!
You’re right dude – I’ll have to get to another showing of this before the summer is out!
I have just looked out the review as you suggested. As I mentioned before, I did like the movie and thought it was good but I can not see what all the fuss is about. I agree with pretty much everything you say about the movie until you get to the consultation. You say: “BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD might seem facile, but it leaves the viewer with a lot to soak up” and go on to say: “I couldn’t articulate myself on the matter for almost two whole weeks” I think the movie may well be just a little too simple and slight, and the reason you, me, and many other people find it so hard to articulate their thoughts about it is that just isn’t that much there until we start imposing our own ideas and interpretations on it. It is a little like a Terrence Malick idea without the depth to back it up. It could be argued that the greatness lies in the fact people are willing to interpret the movie and that there must be some substance in order to bring out ideas and feelings in the viewer. The flip side to that is if we have to try that hard and look that deep is it really there?
Guess what I just rewatched?
Thinking back on how 2012 shook down for me at the theatres, I’m reminded of THE MASTER. Much like BEASTS, I was captivated by the film on first watch, but couldn’t really articulate why (listen to my fourth TIFF podcast and you’ll hear me trying to string two sentences together about it just minutes after it ended).
In hindsight, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD was the same sort of experience.
It walked a path I am less familiar with, and because of that I couldn’t compare it quite as easily as I can films that go to the usual places.
In re-reading what I wrote five months ago, I realize that I underplayed the film’s greatest strength – the richness and maturity of Hushpuppy as a character. Watching her the second time around, that duality of innocence & maturity really came through, especially in the way she is continually forced to confront the problems life throws her way. By the time we get to the film’s iconic final moment, we see it as a fitting encapsulation of what she’s already gone through and what she will continue to go through the rest of her life.
The story of Hushpuppy would make a compelling film all on its own – the fact that it is set in a world as lush as The Bathtub is an embarassment of riches.
So no, I don’t think that much of its greatness comes with what we bring to it. Instead, I think that its greatness is on display and we just have to be prepared for what’s about to be unleashed. Come back to it sometime.