Beasts of the Southern Wild (PG-13)
"To Kill An Auroch"
Hushpuppy and her Daddy "Wink" live on
the fictitious Louisiana island of Bathtub, precariously placed behind
all those levees that keep the dryfolk dry. The modern folk tale
centers on the life of it's smallest and bravest girl, played like
dynamite by tiny Quvenzhane Wallis. She's a smart, precocious 6 year
old scamp with a vivid imagination living in a small
land of drunks, weirdos and societal dropouts. Her Daddy raised her by
himself to be strong and in tune with the world around her, and the
outside world is a dark and scary place filled with the monsters of
destruction and change. When Wink gets sick and the water rises she
doesn't have a Momma to fend for her, so Hushpuppy goes to out find her
herself while in her mind the monstrous Aurochs slowly trample and kill
everything shes knows. This movie made me think about a lot of things.
About people who live on the fringe, happy and free and poor and without
safety nets. About the environment and life and it's inherent dangers,
man made or not. About childhood and parents, husbands wives and
orphans. Heavy old subjects yet crisp and new when told from a 6 year
old's perspective.
I don't think the allegory of the CGI
aurochs were as effective as the filmmakers needed it to be, but neither
did it bother me. The star and story here is Hushpuppy, and as her
voice propels us through the film, through things big and small, it
allows you time to think for yourself and reflect. The girl is right.
If thousands of years from now those future archeologists dig up our
bones and houses and see how we lived, we'd be lucky to have the mythos
of Hushpuppy mixed in with us. She lives Wild and Free like her daddy
taught her, just a human animal in an inhuman universe.
8 Crawdaddies out of 10 (GREAT)
I don't think the allegory of the CGI aurochs were as effective as the filmmakers needed it to be, but neither did it bother me. The star and story here is Hushpuppy, and as her voice propels us through the film, through things big and small, it allows you time to think for yourself and reflect. The girl is right. If thousands of years from now those future archeologists dig up our bones and houses and see how we lived, we'd be lucky to have the mythos of Hushpuppy mixed in with us. She lives Wild and Free like her daddy taught her, just a human animal in an inhuman universe.
8 Crawdaddies out of 10 (GREAT)
