Saturday, July 28, 2012

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD - fiercely divergent

Right from the start it must be said that Beasts Of The Southern Wild is a very unique film, indeed, and is more of a special experience than a super great movie.

The setting is the American south, laden with misery in the bayou, which is colloquially referred to as the bathtub, by the young, breakout performance via Quvenzhané Wallis. At times it's a difficult film to watch with a fairly wild editing style and frenetic pace, yet truly an artistic endeavor emerges magically before us. 

Beasts is part fantasy, part contemporary reality. It deals with climate change in a way that I'm sure not many others are thinking of. Immemorial, feral creatures resurrected to life due to melting Arctic ice, seek out food and flesh in their long journey, which promptly ends in the marshy wetlands. I'm not entirely sure as to the subtextual meaning of the creatures but their ferocity strikes a chord, somehow, with our probable impending doom, if nothing is done about our current situation. 

Desolation and despair are words that barely capture the backdrop of the movie - you really don't want to live here, despite all the attempts of the inhabitants to stay, which is what compounds the visceral experience you have watching the poor characters trying to save their way of life. A moving spectacle, photographed extremely well and riveting performances that bestow shock and awe are why people are talking about this one. Your eyes will scarcely be able leave the screen.

Recommended Viewing: Dancer In The Dark - Paper Moon - The Princess And The Frog

              Bob Scale: Objective: 8.5   -   Subjective: 8.0
            MetaCritic: 86
 Rotten Tomatoes: 86
                   IMDB: 7.5




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