Beasts of the Southern Wild

We recommend this one.  We heard of it from Sonya and could not wait for it to come to Point Arena.  It's arrival was delayed a couple times.




Beasts of the Southern Wild

Director: Ben Zeithlin
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 91 minutes

An extraordinary and visually stunning drama about a six-year-old girl and her ailing father who live among the impoverished people of the Louisiana Delta, where they co-exist with nature and face a devastating storm. Cast: Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Jonshel Alexander, Marilyn Barbarin, Kaliana Brower.

Critic Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com calls it outstanding, "Sometimes miraculous films come into being, made by people you've never heard of, starring unknown faces, blindsiding you with creative genius."

The film was designated a 2012 "Critics' Pick" by the film reviewers of the New York Times. Author and critic A.O. Scott, writing for The Times, calls Beasts a "blast of sheer, improbable joy, a boisterous, thrilling action movie with a protagonist who can hold her own...." "Hushpuppy, the 6-year-old heroine of 'Beasts of the Southern Wild,' has a smile to charm fish out of the water and a scowl so fierce it can stop monsters in their tracks. The movie, a passionate and unruly explosion of Americana, directed by Benh Zeitlin, winks at skepticism, laughs at sober analysis and stares down criticism."

"Played by Quvenzhané Wallis, an untrained sprite who holds the camera's attention with a charismatic poise that might make grown-up movie stars weep in envy, Hushpuppy is an American original, a rambunctious blend of individualism and fellow feeling. In other words, she is the inheritor of a proud literary and artistic tradition, following along a crooked path traveled by Huckleberry Finn, Scout Finch, Eloise (of the Plaza), Elliott (from 'E.T.') and other brave, wild, imaginary children