Beasts of the Southern Wild Film Critique

In my elective term class Ollywood, our goal is to understand the pre-production and design process of a film. We went to view the play Lady in Denmark, a one woman show telling the story of love, jazz, and Billie Holiday's influence in people's lives. We analyzed the components of a screenplay and watched Jaws, a classic example of well-executed screenplay. We also studied the production design behind Lord of the Rings that set different moods and hold specific color palettes and props. For a field experience, our class visited Lower Wacker in downtown Chicago to experience location scouting. It is famous for chase car scenes. What I have to present to you here is a film critique analyzing what we studied in a movie I chose. This film is famous for its cinematography, main actress, and overall message:

Beasts of the Southern Wild, released in 2012, is a raw and organic film directed by Benh Zeitlin. Its uncensored beauty and personalities contribute to its numerous awards and Oscar nominations. Zeitlin executed his vision in a striking, unpredictable, and emotionally immersive ride through life.

The film focuses on the protagonist, Hushpuppy, a young girl living in poverty out on a Louisiana coast community named the Bathtub. She wants to survive her perception of 'the end of the world' alongside her father and continue striving with the people she cares about. Reality's lack of mercy does not avoid Hushpuppy’s father, portrayed by Dwight James, as he falls ill and the Bathtub gets flooded by a storm. Her father dedicates himself in teaching tactics of survival to his daughter. His strong spirit motivates her to stay loyal to her home. The world of Hushpuppy is all in her external surroundings, lightly spotted with child imagination. The character was originally supposed to be a male casting, but five-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis proved to be a better candidate. The wisdom she was able to portray proved this, and throughout filming, the dialogue of Hushpuppy was supported by her innovative acting. A phrase her character repeated was, "I see that I'm a little piece of this big universe, and that makes things right.”

The conflicts include Hushpuppy battling inevitable instances throughout her journey.  "For the animals that didn't have a dad to putem in a boat, the end of the world already happened." This is her acknowledgement of death as she stares at the drowned corpses after the storm. Hushpuppy is also educated on an ancient monstrous force called the Orox; a creature of destruction. This contributes to the genre of fantasy since the audience is brought into the character's imagination. Eventually, people from society comes to forcibly evacuate the Bathtub community from their home. This is a less fantasy based instance that challenges Hushpuppy. The evacuation shelters of the 'regular world' included medical rooms with fluorescent lights and machinery. The aura of the film shifted into a palette of blue and white. The uniformity of the new environment contrasted with the dazzlement of nature from the Bathtub. It made normality undesirable and everyday life appear bland, robotic, and controlling. Hushpuppy voices this when she sees her father in a hospital bed after surgery. “When an animal gets sick here, they plug it into the wall.”

The social interactions in Beasts of the Southern Wild held deep significance. A beautiful scene was when Hushpuppy and her father were throwing objects at each other in a fit. It was a time when Hushpuppy's father realized his daughter sees his sickness. She told him, "You think I don't know nothin' , man.” It formed a powerful bonding moment because he scolded "No cryin'!", and when she did anyway, after seeing her sadness, he stopped to acknowledge her. They had a conversation about death over an alcoholic drink (his apology to her), and Hushpuppy said, "'Cause if you be gone, I be gone too." It touches the audience because they know she is going to outlive her father despite what she wants. He hypes her up after revealing the harsh truth.“Who's the man?!", he yells.  "I'M the man!!" she replies. The dialogue reveals their unique way of interacting. It's extremely effective because it holds a powerful energy, the energy of their father-daughter connection. Their way of speaking isn't common but it is believable because of the character's personalities. Someone might say Hushpuppy's words don't suit her age, but her experiences and interactions in the movie support her mental state.

This film was very innovative with their use of props and materials. What was used for set design was basically anything lying around. The process was improved, and it is also strengthened the wilderness of the environment as well as the character's habits, whether it be alcohol bottles, wood panels, signs, stickers, crab legs, etc. In an interview with Benh Zeitlin, he mentioned how there wasn't a hierarchy in the crew. Everyone collaborated in the same work space and ricocheted ideas off of each other. A major prop in the movie was a motor boat made with the back of a truck. The crew had built the boat when Zeitlin's truck blew up and it was decided to just incorporate it into the movie. There was also a specific prop that formed a connection between the audience and Hushpuppy's mind. A red basketball jersey was used to represent the absence of her mother. She carries the jersey with her and converses with it because it is her dream to meet her. A blinking light across the body of water she lived on also symbolized her longing. These inclusions didn't feel predictable, they were just happenings in her life that she later on pursued. It made the flow of the movie natural and engaging.

All the places chosen to film were mostly untouched, and that made the locations very suitable to the plot. There was barely anything setup or censored out, and every surrounding had potential to be in a shot. Depicted in the film was an island of nature and freedom separated by a land of water with a dam. The dam indicated where the 'ugly' factories and norm of the people lived, trapped in an artificial life. One could also imagine the film taking place in an area where abandoned places on land are over run by nature and animals closeby a functioning city. Or possibly poverty by a river living underneath bridges with chicken coops, and dogs. However, without the elements of the large water and land scapes, it wouldn't be the same.

In costume design, there was nothing fancy about the clothes chosen for the characters. Hushpuppy's father wore worn jeans and tank tops. The audience can notice his strength, determination, and stubbornness in the muscles of his arms, the shape of his posture, and his shoulders. The scarcity of clothing in some scenes provides a freeing mood. A particular scene where Hushpuppy's father described her mother was badass. This woman shot a crocodile in her underwear, not caring if its blood splattered on her thighs It proves that the characters in this movie are nonchalant about blood, dirt, or pain. They value strength, endurance and utilizing resources to improve life while appreciating the beauty of remaining natural. Hushpuppy wore shorts, rolled up pants, or just underwear with a tank top. Clothes are the last thing on these characters minds. They see each other, not their material belongings, and that was a lesson Zeitlin wanted to show.

The social inspiration behind Beasts of the Southern Wild relates to the erosion of land due to global warming. However, it was exaggerated in the director’s vision, using the Orox and the collapsing of icecaps to represent the earth falling apart. This movie was also produced to celebrate the people in New Orleans that stayed in their home despite its sinking. It celebrates their determination to rebuild. There isn't a lot of traditional structure in this film's creation. Benh Zeitlin had the idea to portray something in his world he didn't have the answer to at first, but as he explored it in his film, he was able to communicate and discover it in Beasts of the Southern Wild. It reflects that even if living conditions aren't  'top notch' , people don't want to abandon their homes. The crew used the resources of old buildings and shacks around them set up their base. The cameraman, Ben Richardson, expressed in an interview that he allowed himself to wallow in five-year-old Quevenzhane's mindset. He focused the camera to whatever held her attention. When the actress talked with Zeitlin, they exchanged ideas, concepts, and opinions that helped develop her character in the screenplay. The award winning Beasts of the Southern Wild fulfills the beauty and fascination in the nitty gritty of life when there is an unconditional love, bliss and freedom between a band of people with strong souls.

Citations:

Creators. “Making of Beasts of the Southern Wild - Part I.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OUM1Yy6glM.