Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

This is topic Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 07-05-2012, 10:04 PM:

Convinced that she is somehow to blame for Hurricane Katrina, a young Louisiana delta girl struggles to keep her wits about her while coming to terms with her mother’s absence and her father’s illness.

So far, no film this year has gotten more Oscar buzz than this low-budget film-festival favorite. Shot in handheld 16mm and starring non-professional actors, it depicts folks living isolated lives of crushing poverty but who are nevertheless at peace with their lot. The picture is carried by little Quvenzhane Wallis, who plays a six-year old who is troubled by end-of-the-world visions while dealing with the aftermath of the storm. It’s quite a performance; the little girl is a true force of nature herself and the actor who plays her father also does a fine job as a man trying to toughen up his daughter against the time when he is no longer around to care for her. There’s some question about how much of the film’s events are “real” in the narrative sense and how much are fantasies that the little girl is having (or whether or not it’s ALL a fantasy), but if you are looking for something offbeat this is absolutely worth seeing.

NOTE: if you are someone who is bothered by the whole “shaky-cam” thing, you’re going to have a hard time with this one.