Beasts of the Southern Wild was an original, avant-garde film that pulled you into the world of the Americana bayou as soon as you sat down, and two hours later you came out as if waking from a really fuzzy dream after sleeping outside in fresh air all night. Deep with meaning, full of music and life, there was so much to unravel about Beasts, at first I had no idea what to make of it until the next day or so; it took some time to settle in my brain.
While Beasts does have that dream-like, naive quality from being told from the point of view of a six-year-old girl growing up wild on the flooded side of a levee with a remarkable understanding of the universe, there is also for the viewer a sense of cold reality. Hushpuppy's father's sickness; the storm flooding the Bathtub; the governments attempts to evacuate the citizens when help is not actually wanted- these are things that Hushpuppy sees but does not elaborate on, leaving viewers to do it for themselves. Hushpuppy instead relates deeper narration to us; she explains that everything alive is connected and the same. She considers humans "human-animals", and the mythical aurochs very much real.
The aurochs represented the fantastical parts of the movie- did Hushpuppy really face them, physically or metaphorically, towards the end? What were they there to represent? The wildness of the world? The insignificance of humanity, or our ability to be the strongest beasts? Also a little surreal was Hushpuppy's adventure to "find" her mother, if that's who the woman was. If not, I think it's safe to say that she at least represented the mother figure, who ran away from responsibility and could fry-cook crocodiles. It allows Hushpuppy to plot-wise move on from needing her mother's presence and to be strong entirely on her own.
Hushpuppy's strength is both awe-inspiring and admirable. While she is a resilient child in the beginning, she has to grow throughout the movie into the strong girl leading her people through the flooded Bathtub so confidently. She learns slowly to go through life without father or mother. Encouraged to "Be a man!", she does. She stands completely on her own in her tiny community, making decisions and discoveries alone and apart, standing by the end of the movie with new strength and power, leading an expedition into a new life. This strength remains even through the invasion of the Bathtub by authorities trying to evacuate the community despite their resolve to stay. Their culture remains, however, as pointed out by the NYT article.
The underlying message of environmentalism in the film is not one that I picked up on, necessarily. I didn't find it exactly so potent as some of my classmates seemed to. Sure, it was there, but I think the movie was more concerned about the effects of people on each other and the strength of people individually.
Initially though I knew it was mystical, moving, and spiritual, after deeper thought and discussion I realized that a major theme in Beasts was strength. You don't need anyone or anything to be strong; you need only yourself and your will to get out of any situation with your head held high. It was rewarding and remarkable to see this feat accomplished so well by such a small girl. Go Hushpuppy!
*Favorite quote: "I hope you die, and after you die I'll go to your grave and eat birthday cake all by myself!"
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