The movie Beasts of the Southern
Wild ricochets around the corners of your mind, becoming louder with each
memory of its deep, penetrating rawness long after the credits have rolled.
Maybe there isn’t one scene that keeps coming back to you but instead a lingering
feeling of satisfaction that validates the quality of the art that you have
just seen. Set in a sinking Louisiana Bayou called The Bathtub, a young girl
named Hushpuppy lives with her father and learns the only truths worth knowing
in their derelict community: survival is everything, don’t whine and never turn
your back on your home. They seem like hard lessons for kids so young, but for Hushpuppy
and her mopheaded classmates these facts represent their reality and imbue them
with the strength and resistance they possess. 
Hushpuppy is one especially
tough little chick. Brought to passionate life by then 6-year-old Quvenzhané
(Kohr-VEN-Jennae) Wallis, Hushpuppy is by her own testimony “the man!” She cooks,
she stands-up to her full-grown father (“when you die, I’m going to sit on your
grave and eat birthday cake all day long!”) and even to a giant mythical beast.
She cannot be tamed. When a terrifying storm forces the residents of the
Bathtub from their homes, Hushpuppy, her father, and a few colorful characters
stay and endeavor to rebuild. When “outsiders” force them to go to a modern
hospital, the narrative turns from a colorful portrait of a distinct community
to an escape narrative with Hushpuppy leading the charge to get home. The
confidence displayed by the intrepid girl in her brood’s moment of need is
nothing short of awe-inspiring. In these moments of bravery, Wallis transforms
her character from precocious little girl to a maverick that we all look up to.
She displays such a strong capable persona that you have to remind yourself
that she’s only a child.
Hushpuppy’s age becomes touchingly obvious in
scenes where, overcome by loneliness or the realization of a problem bigger
than herself, she cries with fervent emotion for her long-lost mother. It is
never exactly clear what happened to Hushpuppy’s mom, but her memory reaches
mythic proportions when tales of her exquisite beauty and unparalleled strength
are recounted by Hushpuppy and her father in a style that is slightly fantastic
and completely from the heart; in other words the rich storytelling is uniquely
Louisianan. This can be used to describe the style of the entire film. The
movie is virtually bare of cinematic frills and feels more like a candid documentary
of an isolated community. This unfashioned approach makes what unfolds before
us seem very real and therefore touching in its display of raw humanity.
No one is rawer in the film than
Hushpuppy’s father Wink, a man with a heart riddled with physical and emotional
defects. Wink believes that he is invincible and wants everyone else to believe
this too, especially his daughter. He certainly has the appearance of a strong
man, but his irrationally aggressive actions and demeanor suggest an insecurity
that goes far deeper than his sudden heart trouble. It is a testament to Dwight
Henry’s sensational acting that Wink never becomes only one type of man. His performance
captures the complexity of this character so we do not condemn him but strive
to understand him and his relationship with his daughter. With a performance this honest, I’m surprised
that Henry has not been recognized by any award shows.
I love how this film subverts the
image of a traditional hero by placing little Hushpuppy in this role. It shows
that power can come from many shapes, sizes, races and ages. I particularly
like the depiction of black women in the film. More than her father, Hushpuppy’s
mentors are her deceased mother, her tough-talking teacher and a cat-fish cooking
waitress that dispenses straight-forward advice amidst the sizzle and pop of a
skillet. Though jaded by the pain of poverty and disappointments, they display superhuman
levels of strength, confidence and, somehow, compassion. Though Hushpuppy is a
singularly impressive girl, if she has seen far it’s because she has stood on
the strong dark shoulders of those who came, saw and suffered before her.
Wallis is up for a Best Actress
Oscar this year which is an incredible achievement for one so young. Though she
may not have given the most challenging performance by a female in 2012, I do
believe the film itself deserves serious recognition. If Quvenzhané’s
nomination guides viewers to this film, than that will be recognition enough. I
just hope the Disney channel stays away from her. They’ve ruined enough perfectly
ballsy talent.
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