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Since winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year (and, most recently, the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the L.A. Film Festival over the weekend), the film Beasts of the Southern Wild has floated in an atmosphere of not just accolades but high praise from critics and audiences alike.

 

Beasts, which is director Benh Zeitlin’s first feature film, is a mythical tale of a motherless girl named Hushpuppy who lives in The Bathtub -- a bayou community in Louisiana, riddled by poverty, folklore, and destructive weather. Told from the fantastical eyes of a 6-year-old, the audience watches as Hushpuppy’s world crumbles to pieces. A massive storm floods The Bathtub, forcing Hushpuppy and her father, who is dying of an unidentified disease, to flee their home. Deeply connected to their land, which is now mostly underwater, Hushpuppy and her father are committed to survival in The Bathtub at all costs -- even though a herd of ancient beasts called aurochs also march their way.

 

The film, which I first saw at the Cannes Film Festival in France last month, is stunning. Yet it is more than just a visually arresting work of art; it is a statement about cultural preservation and independence despite daunting odds -- and a testament to the power of indie film.

 

At Cannes, I had the privilege of listening to Zeitlin as well as other team members, such as screenwriter Lucy Alibar and cinematographer Ben Richardson, discuss the film prior to winning the prestigious Camera d’Or, a prize given to the best first feature. I was inspired when I heard their story: Alibar and Zeitlin, who have known each other since they were 14 years old, collaborated to write Beasts together, basing it on Alibar’s play Juicy and Delicious. They also spoke of the long audition process to find their haunting lead, newcomer Quvenzhane Wallis. The film is a truly a success on so many levels; not only because of the evocative finished product, but it’s ability to put so many talented first-timers on the map.

 

Be sure to check out this mythical masterpiece as Beasts of the Southern Wild is receiving wider distribution in July.

 

 

- Halee Bernard, YH Staff