Review: 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'

Fox Searchlight Pictures

No matter how burdensome a home can be, it is still home. No matter how harmful family can be, it is still family. No matter how small we are, we are still a part of the universe. In Beasts of the Southern Wild, a young girl named Hushpuppy learns, shows and even preaches these three truths. Whether it be disturbing or inspiring, Beasts of the Southern Wild uses an artsy style to present Hushpuppy’s view of the world and how we fit into it. 

Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis) and her father, Wink (Dwight Henry) live in a remote Louisiana Bayou town referred to as the ‘Bathtub’.  The ‘Bathtub’ may appear rundown and a hazard to live in but to the people that occupy it, they wouldn’t have it any other way because it is there home that they take great pride in. Hushpuppy, Wink and several other of the ‘Bathtub’ residents show this loyalty when they refuse to leave when a storm threatens to destroy the town. The storm does eventually hit which forces the remaining residents to ban together. With Winks health becoming a serious issue, Hushpuppy, while dealing with the aftermath of the storm, must also care for him. This becomes even more difficult with Winks stubborn and abusive behavior. While all this is happening, frozen Aurochs have broken off of a gigantic ice structure in the artic and are making their way for the ‘Bathtub’.        

The film begins by effectively introducing the audience to the culture of the ‘Bathtub’. The entire community is seen celebrating with a parade, drinking and fireworks. These visuals along with a voice over of Hushpuppy speaking about the ‘Bathtub’ help to really show that it is a place people are proud to live in. This opening also helps to give meaning and reason to why these residents are so hesitate to leave this place.  

While there are plenty of images that make it clear that the ‘Bathtub’ residents are proud to live here, several images also stress that the ‘Bathtub’ is a place of financial poverty as it is cutoff from any other residential area. These images include the way houses are constructed and what people have to do to survive there. These images say that it takes a special person to live here, a person that can be independent and emotionally as well as mentally tough. This is where Hushpuppy comes into the picture as she is the one portrayed as that special kind of individual. Despite her young age, she is the one that can handle living in such a place as she understands that she is a part of something much bigger.

Hushpuppy sees herself as a part of the universe. This is made known throughout the film with thoughtful voice-overs from her. At one point she says “The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece... the whole universe will get busted” which is accompanied by the image of an ice structure breaking a part (one of many of director Behn Zeitlin's artsy touches seen throughout the film). Due to this way of thinking, Hushpuppy sees it as her duty to remain strong and become independent. When her father, Wink’s health progressively gets worse she also has to help take care of him instead of the other way around. She is driven to do this because he is her father but also because she believes that every piece of the universe has to be fixed when it breaks.

It is interesting how Hushpuppy relies more on her absent mother than her father. Her father tries to provide for her but with his bad health, alcohol dependency, disappearing for lengthy periods of time and abusive attitude he does little to help her. Hushpuppy turns to her absent mother for company by talking to a sports jersey that represents her and is seen calling for her when she needs help. This is not seen in her relationship with her father. One thing that Hushpuppy’s father stresses is toughness which appears to be helpful. This becomes somewhat offsetting though when this becomes more about teaching her to be masculine instead of just tough. This says a lot about her father’s character but is at times over the top in the dialogue and images that are used to show this.

The gigantic beasts known as Aurochs that are making their way to the ‘Bathtub’ represent the troubles that life presents and how hard it can be. Hushpuppy represents control, control over your life and how it is possible, no matter who you are or where you come from to stand up and face trouble. This comes together in a very powerful and heartfelt scene. Up until to this scene, Beasts of Southern Wild effectiveness relies on the audience’s investment in the character that is Hushpuppy and her journey in the film. This scenes just adds to an already worth watching journey and character.      

Grade: B