REVIEWS
Beasts Of The Southern Wild Reviewed by Anthony Kaufman
On a bayou island not far from the levies of the Louisiana coast, a motley group of survivors tries to retain their eccentric way of life in this idiosyn- cratic debut feature from Louisiana-based film- maker Benh Zeitlin. Based on a play called Juicy And Delicious, the
film focuses mainly on a six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy, who lives alone with her angry father Wink in a makeshift shack built high above the ground. While storms gather to flood their homes and giant warthogs, unleashed by the melting ice caps, threaten to trample whatever is left, Hush- puppy and her backwoods community struggles for survival. The fantastical world of the film — which had
its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival — takes place amid a kind of poverty-stricken sur- realism, infused with the energy and buoyancy of a big Mardi Gras party. Opening shots show the raucous residents of
the ‘Bathtub’, as their island community is dubbed, running around screaming, drinking, eating all manner of crayfish and crabs, lighting off fireworks and just plain going wild, as the film’s title suggests. It is all original and weird enough to be watch-
UNCERTAIN REGARD
US. 2011. 91mins Director Benh Zeitlin Production companies Court 13 Pictures International sales William Morris Endeavor, www.wmeentertainment. com Producers Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn Executive producers Philipp Engelhorn, Paul Mezey, Michael Raisler Screenplay Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin, based on Alibar’s play Juicy And Delicious Cinematography Ben Richardson Production designer Alex DiGerlando Editors Crockett Doob, Affonso Goncalves Music Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin Main cast Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry
able, but not coherent or concise enough to be commercial. Beasts Of The Southern Wild is a curi- osity, to be sure, likely headed for worldwide festi- val play but not much business. The narrative is loosely structured around a few
key plot points presumably inspired by Hurricane Katrina: the coming of a giant storm, how the locals survive it and live after the devastation, and how the authorities arrive to take them away. The story’s heart, however, lies in the relation-
ship between Hushpuppy and her father. Though this domestic drama builds to a moment of cathar- sis, the characters — and their setting — remain too much at a distance. Zeitlin has created a fully imagined fantasy world, but he rarely allows the viewer to inhabit it emotionally.
With her white rain-boots, small Afro and wide-
eyed expressive face, young actress Quvenzhané Wallis’ Hushpuppy is a likeable screen presence. Yet she is also more of a symbol than a real-life girl, as with much of the fable-like quality of the film. Indeed, to his credit, Zeitlin has created an
imaginative and bold vision, filling his movie with memorable images: Hushpuppy running through the swamps, carrying bright burning sparklers in both hands, or breaking open a crab with her mouth, eating the flesh and flexing her muscles in victory; or, with the help of some digital effects, the giant warthog monsters confronting and sniffing a diminutive Hushpuppy. But as a journey about death, life and commu- nity, this Beasts could have used some taming.
JOIN CREATIVE SKILLSET IN THE UK FILM CENTRE AT CANNES 2012
FRIDAY 18 MAY 4.30 - 6.00pm
Marketing Movies Online You may think fi lm marketing starts and ends with a fi lm trailer, Facebook and Twitter account, but that’s only the start! Get a taste of the Marketing Movies Online programme at our launch event in Cannes. Digital marketing experts Helen Cowley, Head of Editorial and Digital Content at LOVEFiLM, fi lm analyst Mike Gubbins and Tobais Baukhage, Founder and CEO of Moviepilot, will walk you through a digital marketing campaign from conception to execution, providing practical tips on how to market a movie - any size and budget - online. Supported by Creative Skillset, LOVEFiLM, the Film Distributors Association and MEDIA.
Venue: UK Film Centre Pavilion No. 118
Village International Cannes
SKILLS. JOBS.
ACTION.
www.abiggerfuture2.co.uk
n 22 Screen International at Cannes May 17, 2012
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