Beasts of the Southern Wild

Reviewed by Nathan Regina

Many films have rolled from Cannes to the Oscars and scored big. However, many of these films don’t get many people into the theater. Evidence of this was very clear when I saw Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film blew me away, but my only companion was my fellow blogger Ethan our significant others. Truth be told, I would be shocked if this film does not score big come award season. From the acting to the cinematography, this film does not disappoint.

Before I being telling just how much I love this film, it does come with a major drawback. The film is not one that any movie watcher can go see and instantly love. It takes a significant amount of understanding to fully understand the plot. The plot lacks a real direction and gets a little airy at certain point. However, the elite acting really makes up for any shortcomings.

Quvenzhané Wallis was amazing from the moment she enters onto the screen. Her acting was superb not even accounting for her age. The story is told through her eyes as she flows through her world of change. Her acting, for a small child, blew me away as she had to act out a variety of emotions. As her world changes, her acting evolves which truly amazed me. Once award season rolls around, I will be truly shocked if she doesn’t score big.

Any viewer of this film will wonder if the world depicted in the film is intended to be purely fantasy. The community does resemble many deep southern Louisiana communities. However, they depict a modern society at several points in the film. Regardless, the low budget of the film blew me away with the cinematography and the setting was truly amazing. The world represents something from rural Louisiana but still has some fantasy elements that don’t seem real.

 The biggest element that was impressive to me was the visual elements of the cinematography. Throughout the film one is able to not only see but also feel what the main character is going through. Many films struggle in getting across the emotions of the story. This film went above and beyond to the point you can literally feel sorry, happiness, and desperation. Great job, on behalf of the director, of getting these feelings across while also telling the story.

I am already marking this film among my Oscar favorites moving forward. The film may be small budget with low ticket sales, but it hits a home run in a variety of categories. In addition, the visual elements of the film will blow any film buff away. The acting of Quvenzhané Wallis highlight the entire film for me. I walked in fairly excited for this movie and it truly did not disappoint. Big time home run for this film. look for a full trophy case for actors and director once award season rolls around.

Nate’s Score: 9.3/10