Beasts of the Southern Wild - B+

Rated PG-13, 92 minutes

Original but downbeat "Beasts" will stay with you

Quvenzhane Wallis

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" is an astonishingly original, memorable and depressing film about the survival of humanity. In a forgotten but defiant Louisiana bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a highly intelligent six-year-old girl named Hushpuppy (newcomer Quvenzhane Wallis) exists by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination. she believes all is in good order until a fierce storm alters her way of life. Determined to repair her world in to save her ailing father Wink (Dwight Henry) and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive not only actual storms, but the storms of life. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is an auspicious low-budget first feature of Southern-eyed survival from Benh Zeitlin that stays with you from the first frame. The mesmerizing, engaging breakout performance from Wallis is by far the best thing about the film; she is the heart and soul of the film, and without her the film would not have the same impact. As the child prodigy Hushpuppy who is wise beyond her years, she creates a performance that is staggeringly palpable and is the best child actress to come along in years. She and Henry, both native Louisianians, have great chemistry and play off each other very well to help move the story along. Zeitlin's heavy-handed, symbolic script works best when it follows Hushpuppy/Wallis, who is certainly Zeitlin's muse here and it's really a downbeat story of survival and hope, grounded by Hushpuppy's imaginary beasts that come to life in the bayou. "Beasts" nonlinear storyline may not be for everyone, and there are many metaphors that Zeitlin throws at you, perhaps too many, but it's all held together quite well by Wallis, in a performance that will hopefully be remembered come awards time. Definitely worth seeing.