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I had such a heavy emotional reaction at the end of “Beasts of the Southern Wild” that I couldn’t speak. The experience was emotionally draining and exhilarating at the same time. What is awesome is that I had close to the same response to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” earlier this year, meaning I’m a pretty lucky guy. This usually doesn’t happen very often. I’ve been floored twice in 2012. I mean trembly lipped, can’t make eye contact, shaky voiced floored.
But what sets “Beasts” apart from the exceptional “Perks” is that the film is unlike anything, a true unique vision whose very existence seems a miracle. Based on the stage play, “Juicy and Delicious” by co-screenwriter Lucy Alibar, “Beasts” marks the feature debut for director Benh Zeitlin. Zeitlin gives us a fantasy world that closely parallels our own and is shot like a documentary. At first glance we think we are seeing the lives of bayou-dwelling families living meagerly outside of New Orleans. Yet the makeshift houses and boats that they travel in look like something out of an animated Hayao Miyazaki film (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”). “Beasts” is so incredibly detailed that it rivals the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in terms of creating another world that comes across as reality.
The true marvel about “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is that it is centered and grounded by a 6 year old. Quvenzhané Wallis delivers an impossible performance. She narrates the film and is in nearly every scene. There is never a false moment and I cannot think of another performance from a young actor that this can be compared. Wallis makes you believe.
She plays little Hushpuppy, an incredible tough girl who connects to the world around her. She has a habit of picking up animals and listening their heartbeats, she sees the logic of the universe. Her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), is a simple man who is raising Hushpuppy on his own. Wink is sick, something is wrong with his blood, and he spends his hours making Hushpuppy strong enough to stand tall in the world.
The plot is pretty simple but there is plenty of meaning and symbolism beneath the surface to make “Beasts” deeply moving. Dwight Henry matches Wallis in intensity and gives a fantastic performance as well. Wink, like Hushpuppy, does not seem like a performance. We are flies on the wall, peeping in on these people.
The entire production crew, from the editor to the cinematographer, is made up of relative newcomers and there is a sense of eagerness that radiates from “Beasts”. Zeitlin has made an exceptional first film and may just be the most promising filmmakers in years.
