Indomável Sonhadora

As I said, I thought the film is over-rated, over-hyped, formless, basically plot less, and trite. The father is a mean drunk (who still loves his kid), and the kid is a solemn and wise six year-old. Two stereotypes, wouldn't you say? They live in The Bathtub, a shattered but colorful community on the gulf side of the levee. The community is comprised of other drunk people who also love and care about Hushpuppy, the young girl. Hushpuppy is quite precocious, interested in things that don't usually concern girls of her age: the after-life, ecology, such eternal questions as the meaning of life. She of course loves her mean drunk father and all the furred and feathered creatures that live in their little farmlet. There is an air about the film that is surreal. The characters in their madness are a bit like the characters in Mad Max. They are all over-sized and eminently watchable in their enthusiastic inebriation. But I wished for a few moments of lucidity, where people just talk to each other without ranting and raving. The overall impression that I got is one of sadness. There is very little joy -- other than that which comes from the bottle -- in their lives. This said, I enjoyed the movie. It is very watchable, but in a guilty sort of way. Their lives are painful. It is set in a part of the world that we don't normally see, with people we would generally avoid. Technically it is very well done. The visuals are great. I would recommend seeing it but not attending too much to the surrounding hype.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

An engrossing, vigorous, fanciful, primal movie set in Southern Louisiana in time of flood and strife. It's about the power of people to survive. It's a celebration of animal behavior. It's about community and loneliness. There are echoes of ourselves in all these people in their craziness or compassion, or their uneducated wisdom (or lack of wisdom which then depends on luck and instinct).

In short it's quite a ride, and the leading character is a little girl who now is up for an Academy Award nomination for best actress, with the only question about that being the weirdly simple and true question--how much is she acting, how much is she just being herself with amazing transparency on the camera? Well, the same could be said of lots of adult actors who are really just themselves over and over, and so you really can watch "Beasts" for the stellar and heartwarming effort by Quvenzhané Wallis.

There are other performances startling for their gritty (or downright filthy) realism, including the girl's father. But these start to intermix and blend into a larger effort involving the elements of wind and rain and flood, unbridled partying, moments of tender caring including some folk wisdom by the teacher and healer of the group, and so on in an up and down, topsy turvy mix.

You can love this movie just for its insider look at a culture that you hardly knew possible in the United States any more, or even in any third world country for its primitivism. It is in fact rather based on truth though ramped up and made sensational and into a kind of fairy tale. There are (in reality) some islands that have communities struggling on the fringes along the complex coastline of Louisiana, and some of them have almost no development, and correspondingly little education and health care. The film was shot on an actual island like this, though it given a fictional name (nicknamed the Bathtub by the characters).

You can also love this movie for its metaphors. If there is misunderstanding and cruelty between father and daughter, there is also a base instinct to stick together and survive. If there is a sense of independence there is also a dependency on neighbors and outsiders. If the world seems out of whack and insane you still find ways to make part of it reasonable, by either makeshift construction or by changing your outlook. And there are those giant boar animals menacing the main character in some kind of dream. This is really about survival in ways that go beyond physical comfort and food.

There is a problem, especially for people who appreciate more sophisticated movies for their plots and their filmmaking savvy, with the generally meandering narrative. The movie is not without ups and downs and an evolving sense of drama. But it depends more on its scene and its characterizations than on what happens with them. Things happen but they don't particularly develop, in the usual sense. You'll be spellbound and maybe even frightened (or according to some reviews, disgusted) by many of the scenes, but you might also start to wonder what it's all leading to. That's the narrative instinct in all of us for a development toward some kind of climax or turning point, and it's not compelling.

So just be immersed. Admire the fact these are amateurs and independents. Click back a few expectations and be surprised by some of the content for its immediacy. Unique and riveting.

First and foremost - to the people who gave 1 or 2 stars:

The movie does not deserve this few stars, don't be silly. The only reason you give 1 or 2 stars is to make the overall rating go lower and to get people to read your review.

Now to the movie:

It tells a very unique magical story while the fantasy part isn't as big as you could assume from the cover. It's more about the little girl Hushpuppy and her dad who live a simple life. There are some beautiful moments and if you give the movie a chance and actually watch it, there's not much to regret since it will take you on a journey worth seeing.

the first temptation is to compare it with other films about same theme. and you discover it is unique. unique because it is a fantastic translation of the refuges and visions and creativity and courage of an unique age. than for an extraordinary child actor. not the last, for the feel to be part of film. to see the landscapes, to touch the things, to be near the courageous girl, to hope save the situation of the poor father. it is a dream and a fairy tale and a seductive pledge to see, for other side, the life. it reminds the drawings of children, always more serious and realistic than you imagine its. and this small detail, the tension, the powerful flavor of freedom impose "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as something real special. maybe an experience. maybe vehicle to memories. maybe total show. maybe rediscover of territories living inside us.

This film tells the story of a girl whose life is turned upside down by a flood in her village.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" looks like a fairytale or fantasy adventure from the poster, but in fact the film cannot be further from it. The plot is impossible to follow, as it is just a random collection of scenes that are poorly bridged together. For example, how did the girls get from the prostitution rig to a beach all of a sudden? Things are so poorly explained in the film, that I did not understand a thing. The film also shows a lot of irresponsible parenting, and I dread to think whether this has adversely affected the little girl actress. And as for the beasts mentioned in the title, I do wonder if it is referring to the scanty animals we see, or to the father and his friends. I was thoroughly bored by "Beasts of the Southern Wild", and I appeal to all to avoid this film.