The Beasts of the Southern Wild

Since the Oscars were announced last week, I have been preparing a mental prioritized list of all the movies my husband and I need to see before the Academy Awards on February 24.  Though I'm more than eager to see Life of Pi, Lincoln, Les Mis, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty and even Django Unchained, our first accomplishment was what some might consider the underdog film of the 2013 Oscars: Beasts of the Southern Wild.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film, yet I was very surprised (albeit a bit confused at times) with where the story went. The story follows a young girl, Hushpuppy, who lives with a dying, often angry father in a very rundown bayou community. It's pretty difficult to watch the poverty this group of people live in and the scene where Hushpuppy is cooking some sort of lard and cat food for her dinner made my recently consumed spaghetti and meatballs threaten a reappearance.  However, I found myself absorbed into Hushpuppy's world, as we saw everything unfold from her point of view.

Apparently in this fictional version of our world ice caps are melting which means Hushpuppy's town will soon be underwater.  The movie follows her adventures as her father and friends deal with their near-extinction while doing all they can to cling to their lives and their "beautiful place" on this earth.

The appearance of ancient Aurochs which have thawed from hibernation along with the ice caps and a random visit to a floating night club both caused me to snap out of my belief in this world and the story.  They seemed slightly out of place and caused me to wonder how much longer the movie was going to last.  I don't hold this against the film, however, as I'm sure a second viewing will allow me a glimpse into what the director was going for. I couldn't figure out if these giant pig-like, tusked creatures were symbolic or actually running through villages and swimming through rivers.

All in all, I enjoyed watching Beasts of the Southern Wild.  I think a second viewing is in order as it seemed to be full of symbolism and foreshadowign that I just wasn't catching. Quvenzhane Wallis, the young actress who plays Hushpuppy is adorable and a lovely little actress. She's earned a Best Actress Oscar Nomination for her work and has amazing hair!  If you're looking for a movie to make you think and feel in ways the rest of this year's best film nominees can't, check out Beasts of the Southern Wild.  If you're up for some action-packed Tarantino fight scenes, head to Django Unchained...and take Ben and I with you!