Movie Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Quvenzhane Wallis will be a household name by the time the Academy Awards roll around.

Within the first few minutes of Beasts of the Southern Wild it is clear the critical acclaim she has received for the film is warranted.

When a one-in-100-year storm causes the levee protecting the town she lives in to flood and unleashes prehistoric creatures which make a beeline for her home, Hushpuppy (Wallis) is forced to learn real world lessons while the rest of the community refuses to confront reality.

At the centre of the film is the tumultuous relationship between Hushpuppy and her tearaway father Wink (Dwight Henry), who is stricken by a disease which threatens to destroy the world he has worked so hard to create for himself and his daughter.

Hushpuppy realises the security blanket her father has always represented is being torn away and sets off to find her mother and return some stability to her life.

So begins a captivating story of self discovery, beautifully punctuated by Hushpuppy’s naive but insightful musings which create a film that will stay with you for a long time.