Beasts of the Southern Wild
Directed by Benh Zeitlin
- drama
- fantasy
- adventure
The story
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in 'the Bathtub', a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe—for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack—temperatures rise and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
What it’s like
Handheld, hand-held-feeling camerawork that stays close to a small girl's face and bare feet, shot on grainy 16mm with a warm, sun-bleached palette: amber dusk over brackish water, smoky lantern light in shacks, storm skies bruised green and violet. The bayou community of the Bathtub feels humid and tactile, all peeling paint, rusted boats, tangled reeds and crackling fires, while the sound design is a mix of insect drone, sloshing water, wind and a swelling, orchestral-folk score of tuba and strings that rises into something mythic during the storm sequences. The rhythm is loose and episodic, with long wandering stretches broken by sudden surges of flood and fire. The mood is wild-hearted, bittersweet and defiant rather than bleak: a fierce, imaginative child and her stubborn father meeting catastrophe on their own terms. Intensity is moderate: a few harsh, sudden storm and flood scenes, some rough language, a brief, grim illness, and creature sequences that are dreamlike rather than gory, with no sexual content. It suits a late-night watch or a thoughtful weekend, and is for viewers who want poetic, textured storytelling about resilience, family and an uncertain world.
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