Oscar Outlook 2012: Beasts of the Southern Wild

The Sundance Lab supported exciting new filmmaker Benh Zeitlin (who cowrote the screen adaptation and music) in his process of creating Beasts of the Southern Wild.  The film tells the story of Hushpuppy (Quevenzhané--pronounced Kwah-Vahn-Jah-Nay--Wallis), a six-year old girl living in a secluded part of the Louisiana bayou.  Filmed mainly in Terrebonne Parish (the setting for The Skeleton Key) outside of New Orleans, residents in her community dub their backwater village "the Bathtub," due to its vulnerability to floods.  She has a harsh, but loving relationship with her father Wink (Dwight Henry) and must fend for herself when he falls ill and a storm not unlike Hurricane Katrina hits her sparsely populated community.  Zeitlin, using a great deal of locals both in front of the camera and behind, creates a fantastical world for his characters that serves as an allegory that reviewers describe as something they've never seen before.  But, will this catch on with mainstream audiences?

Like the director, the team of talent is full of fresh new faces.  Cowriter includes Lucy Alibar, who wrote the play Juicy and Delicious.  Editors are Crockett Doob and Affonso Gonçalves, the latter of whom worked on Winter's Bone and part of the Mildred Pierce miniseries.  Cinematographer, Ben Richardson. Production Design team includes Alex DiGerlando, Dawn Masi, and Annie Evelyn.  Costume Designer, Stephani Lewis.

Beasts won the Cinematography Award and Grand Jury Prize in the dramatic category at Sundance.  Fox Searchlight bought film for about $2M and will release it on June 27th.

Here's an aggregate collection of reviews ...

Positive (14):
BadAss Digest: Devin Faraci absolutely loved the metaphorical qualities of the film.  He makes David Gordon Green references.  MVP's: Director, Wallis, Harris, Score.

CinemaBlend: Katey Rich says it's stunning, bold, and brave.  MVP: Wallis.

Collider: Visually stunning and intellectually stimulating, Matt Goldberg found it emotionally unsatisfying in some (but few) parts.  MVP's: Wallis, Cinematography, Score.

Film.com: Eric D. Snider makes Malick and David Gordon Green references.  MVP: Cinematography.

Film School Rejects: Kevin Kelly loved the this fantasy that operated in its own world while still being grounded in reality for the sake of the audience.  He questions its commercial prospects.  MVP's: Wallis, Harris.

Film Threat: Michael Nordine loved it and cried, suggesting you just allow the film to wash over you.

The Guardian: Damon Wise suggests its oddities and masterful execution set it apart from more traditional coming-of-age films and is what independent cinema is all about.  MVP's: Wallis, Cinematography.

HIT FIX: Gregory Ellwood predicted a union with Fox Searchlight wouldn't be the best marriage and questions its commercial prospects.  He also alludes to Malick and disses the playwright.  MVP's: Director, Wallis.

Hollywood Report: Todd McCarthy celebrates the film's surprising integration of CGI into the wonderfully natural, fantasy world depicted.  He references Terrence Malick.  MVP's: Wallis, Cinematography.

IndieWire: Through a great deal of rambling, Tambay found the film mesmerizing, but warns the audience to keep their expectations low.  MVP's: Wallis, Cinematography, Score, Art Direction.

MCN: Kim Voynar got lost in its fabulousness.  MVP: Wallis.

Screen Crave (also through Film Watch): Christie Ko raved about it.

Screen Daily: Anthony Kaufman liked it, but found its lack of focus will limit its commercial prospects.

Twitch: Ryland Aldrich appreciated the bond between father and daughter and cautiously only offered plot description with little editorialization so that his readers could form their own impression.  MVP's: Director, Wallis, Harris, Editing.


Mixed (2):

IndieWire: Eric Kohn found it overly ambitious and meandering, but ultimately triumphant.  Doesn't see commercial prospects that make it a good fit for Fox Searchlight.  References Spike Jonze.  MVP: Score.

Geek Tyrant: Found the film unique, but not their cup of tea.  MVP: Wallis.


Negative (1):
CraveOnline: Fred Topel was the only dissenter I could find.  He was not won over by the film's pandering to the characters and handling of the subject matters.  It also sounds like he probably hates movies like Terms of Endearment.  In not so many words, he says that this is the kind of film for liberals who love to watch movies about people economically less fortunate than themselves, so they can assuage their middle-class guilt for a few hours.


Overall
It's pretty clear that most of the reviewers loved the film's special little world created by the director, as well as Wallis at its center.  A handful have doubts that it will catch an audience, suggesting it won't make more than a few million, and nothing passed seven figures.  Based on how her work is described, an argument can easily be made for Wallis to score a nomination for Best Actress.  For some reason, I"m reminded of Whale Rider.

Also on the Radar:

Anna Karenina     Beasts of the Southern Wild     The Dark Knight Rises     Dark Shadows     Great Expectations     The Great Gatsby     Hope Springs     The Hunger Games     Hyde Park on the Hudson     Lawless     Lola Versus     Lovelace     Low Life     Prometheus     Ruby Sparks     Smashed     The Surrogate     Won't Back Down 


The Avengers     The Amazing Spider-Man     Men in Black III