Hushpuppy and the Wild
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a very dynamic and intense movie that was hard to watch due to it’s harshness, but hard to stop watching due to it’s enchantment.
I personally LOVED my experience with the film, and it only got better when reading the two articles about it. First, I will discuss why it was a hard viewing for me. ‘Beasts’ was hard because of its intensity. I can agree with Bell Hooks in how she interpreted the movie because though I did like the movie for all the things she said of this overly prophetic 6-year-old girl who has overcome so much, stayed true to her natural roots, and helped her people with her overly adventurous imagination, I agree that ‘Beasts’ has a lot of elements that are overlooked. When First watching it I was surprised at the amount of equality amongst people and the lack of racial divide. I was pissed at the abuse and abandonment of Hushpuppy from her father and I was super interested in the presence of black masculinity through Wink and how he forces this overly masculine identity onto his young daughter throughout the film. For these reasons, The film developed some big emotional pulls on me as a viewer which made it hard for me to watch. I compared the intensity to other films like “Children of Men” or “Precious” where its a good movie and you want to watch it, but you can only take but so much.
Next, I want to elaborate on what I liked in this film, and the scenes that stood out to me. I liked the underlying message that Hushpuppy has the power to fix things. In the article “What ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ Really Says”, The producer emphasizes how, “somehow you can restore order to the universe through your behavior.” Hushpuppies character thought that she messed the order up and thats why her daddy, Wink, was sick because she hit him and he fell out. she then throughout the film makes every decision in order to fix the initial mistake and to make the bathtub good and to make sure her daddy wasn’t going to die. The idea that your behavior can fix things is to me a powerful message. If everyone does right and good the universe will be effected in a positive light. The article quotes Wallis who acted as Hushpuppy saying she would fix things by listening to her parents and brushing her teeth. what seems to be a simple concept is very deep when looking at it through the eyes of the universe.
Overall, I loved this film and I am reminded of the scenes where she knows she’s only been held twice in her life, or when she turns to speak to the beasts saying “your my friend, kind of”. I love her independence and her strength that I believe everyone should have and it is wonderful to see such a small child show such wisdom.
