Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best picture nominations came out on Thursday. I made a pact five years ago to see all the nominees before the big night which airs on Feb. 24th. So I better get busy. Beasts of the Southern Wild got the nod.

I had passed by Beasts of the Southern Wild a few times on the OnDemand menu a few times over the last couple weeks. The title of the film and the fact that it stars a nine year old girl lead me to believe it was a kids movie. It is not.

Hushpuppy ( 9 year old Quvenzhane Wallis) is a six-year-old living in an isolated bayou community. When her father Wink becomes ill, she sets off for the outside world in an attempt to help him. The journey to save her father is delayed by a "busted" universe that reverses weather patterns and brings about long-extinct animals. Hushpuppy is in a race against the clock to try and save her father and her community, the Bath Tub. Can she get it done?

The movie was pretty long but Quvenzhane Wallis, who is up for best actress, does a fantastic job. The film is on her back completely and she carries the load in shining fashion. to be honest I am still digesting the film. I am torn on how I feel about the movie. It certainly shows the devastation wrought by Katrina in the  Louisiana delta in a brilliant way. It has the signature Academy artistic flare to it for sure as well. I am just not sure how I felt about the plot as a whole. But it is well filmed.

Improvements:

1-10: 7

SRC