Beasts of the Southern Wild

Yesterday I saw the film Beasts of the Southern Wild and while I had heard that it was good, I went in with not a lot of knowledge on the actual narrative. I've been trying this recently with new films at the cinema by not reading any reviews of the film until after I've seen it and I've found that although this fresh perspective can leave you a little bit confused sometimes, generally it makes me appreciate the film more as I've no great expectations from it. I read Empire magazine, but a few years ago I found that a lot of films that they recommended I didn't like and I think this was down to the hype and expectations that I would give the film after reading the review. So, this new process works a lot better for me.

But I'm digressing - back to the film.

BotSW is about a young girl, Hushpuppy, who lives with her Dad in The Bathtub, an island in Louisiana, a place of simple beauty and chaos. She's able to let her imagination run free, until the threat of a flood changes her and her sick Dad's prospects for survival in The Bathtub.

I suppose that you could say that BotSW is quite a simple tale as it focuses on the circumstances of Hushpuppy, but it's so complex in how her tale is delivered. The tone of the film and the colours change from the initial vibrance and recklessness of the community in The Bathtub, to the claustrophobic interiors of the remains of their homes during the flood, to the sterile shelter and finally the apocalyptic, empty and disjointed remnants of The Bathtub. It's all startling to take in yet there's a constant battle in your mind between the dirt that inbitis the area and the vitality of life in the people that live there vs. the emotionless, stilted life in the shelter. You question the motives behind everything: Is Hushpuppy's Dad intentionally mean because he simply doesn't care or because he wants to toughen her up so she can survive? Is the shelter, with it's clean food, beds and clothes, or even a bar really better for Hushpuppy to live in than the flooded wilds? Is everything coincidence or ordained? The slightly surreal mix with the gritty realities of life to form not a fairytale, but simply life through the eyes of a six year old where strength is part of life and danger becomes the norm. Of course the strength of the film depends on the young actress Quvenzhané Wallis to succeed and her performance can't be faulted at all. There was no point in the film that she actually behaves like a six year old as she growls ferrally, uses a blow torch nonchalantly to start the hob and fends for herself. She shows no weakness and it's amazing to watch as is a scene near the beginning of the film where The Bathtub community is celebrating with fireworks in a wood at night. It seems like only the light of the fireworks, which Hushpuppy runs around with, were used to light the scene and the bright sparks deepen the shadows of the people and the surroundings so that while areas shine brightly, others sink into darkness. It's stunning to watch and it seems to sum up some of  the upcoming themes in the film like the sacrifice of safety for beauty and energy and the perils closing in around The Bathtub community and the brightest one of them all, Hushpuppy. It's an incredible film that's earned it's hype as it's deep, stark, harsh and doesn't outstay it's welcome at 94mins as the story of Hushpuppy could go on forever - if only it did.