Wednesday, August 15, 2012

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

You've probably already heard about this little indie flick that was a hit at Sundance. With good reason. Unlike most indie films this one isn't about young urban or suburban quirky young couples. It's about a Southern coastal community of misfits (and basically alcoholics) threatened by rising water and how they respond.

It's also about a little girl who had never acted before and basically is the reason for the movie. She's the lead character and in that role hits more emotional notes than most seasoned actors only wish they could. Her performance is worth the price of admission.

There's a fantasy element since the story is from the perspective of what appears to be an eight or nine year old, and for a low budget little movie the fantasy elements are done more with sets and angles and camerawork than CGI etc. So besides being perfectly cast [with almost all local non-professionals, another of which is the man who plays the father perfectly, a local baker it turns out who never acted before] it's also beautifully shot.

There's a few scenes that made me laugh, or at least smile, and a few that made my eyes water, but most scenes just made me sit back and enjoy being engaged by pretty original film making. I highly recommend it.

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