Last night I finally saw the acclaimed movie Beasts of the Southern Wild. It’s one of those films that are literally breathtaking and it needs to settle before I can finally decide what I really think of it. One thing is clear: Oscar-nominee Quvenzhané Wallis (Hushpuppy) is amazing, her on-screen presence is tremendous. I don’t want call a young girl of color a “force of nature,” but it felt that way. She is strong and unique and in a pivotal scene the world appeared to stop just by the impact of her acting. It’ll be exciting to see what she goes on to do. Dwight Henry, in the role of Hushpuppy’s abusive, violent, drunk and gravely ill father Wink, is also brilliant.
Speaking of staging people (of color) as forces of nature and basically savage “beasts of the southern wild:” A.O.Scott of the New York Times wrote about the movie: “Let’s all agree: This movie is a blast of sheer, improbable joy.” I can’t agree. bell hooks wrote an essay critiquing the movie. I don’t share her view that Hushpuppy was eroticized, I think the bottom of a walking child can be in the center of a unsteady shot without eroticizing it, even considering that the child is a WOC and the problem of too early sexualization of girls of color. She definitely was exoticized.. In this very specific case, I don’t think that it’s a problematic myth that white people and POC live together in this case without talk of race: The inhabitants of “The Bathtub,” the small outsider bayou community on the wrong side of the levee are a community of fate, brought together by their status as very poor outsiders, who (nevertheless?) are proud and stubborn about their home and their position. But I understand why these things can be read as problematic and the essay does bring up a lot of important issues and is well worth a read. It brings up all the elements of the movie that prevent it from being a joyous, feel-good movie. The violence. The neglect of children. And the staging of the people as basically savage beasts, especially Wink.
It’s a strong movie, a well-made movie, an impressively acted and directed movie. But it’s not a pretty movie. It’s not a nice movie. It’s not a joyous movie.
Thoughts?