Beasts of the Southern Wild – Deep Dive

Context –

Beasts of the Southern Wild is an independent film, as it is funded by non-Hollywood financing, has elements of risk-taking, and has a personal vision that values art over money. The focus of the film on poverty and natural disasters does not align with mainstream cinema output and it only had a limited release in four US cinemas, having been produced by Court 13 for $1.8 million and funded mostly by Cinereach, a not-for-profit organisation. The film went on to gross $21 million worldwide, although the motivation for making the film was driven by the desire to tell the story rather than profit, which can be seen by the exploration of a character (Hushpuppy) above pure action and entertainment. Additionally, the film forgoes a typical Hollywood happy ending, instead opting to leave the viewer questioning the fates of the characters in their world.

Beasts of the Southern Wild focuses on a natural disaster and the impact this has on its main black characters, reflecting the reality of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which disproportionally affected people of colour and those in poverty. New Orleans particularly felt the effects and Zeitlin “live[s] in New Orleans [so] was interested in telling a story about people who are staying in South Louisiana and why they’re holding on.” The governmental response to Hurricane Katrina was criticised for being slow and ineffectual in a way that it might not have been had the demographic of those affected been different. Zeitlin claims he did not intend the film to be a political one, but it certainly resonates strongly today in light of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The film was very well received at Sundance Festival, and has won 74 awards, which generated enough publicity to warrant its screening in 318 cinemas. In addition to its festival awards, Beasts of the Southern Wild was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress, making Quvenzhané Wallis the youngest nominee in history at just age nine. The announcement of Oscar nominations caused a rise in box office takings, acting as great publicity for the film.

In order to aid a wider release, Beasts of the Southern Wild was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, part of the Fox conglomerate. Using a major studio for distribution means the film’s release benefits from their experience and resources, so Beasts of the Southern Wild was able to attract audiences on the big screen and encourage press reviews. The blu-ray and DVD release, also by 20th Century Fox, then took an additional $11 million.

Aesthetics –

Zeitlin’s aesthetic inspiration comes partly from documentaries and he wanted to utilise close, detailed shots of nature to mimic a child’s fascination with the world around them. He also takes opportunities in the film to create beautiful shots without the need to drive on the narrative; for example, when Hushpuppy looks for her mother in the Elysian Fields scene, there are soft twinkling lights to create a beautiful yet strange environment, reflecting Hushpuppy’s wonder as she enters.

Representation –

Age: The focus of the film is on Hushpuppy as a child of six, compared to the adults around her, including her father. She respects his authority and follows his example, shown by her referring to what “Daddy says” in her narration as she grows up with him as her only parental influence. Wink is shown to be important in the community, as he instructs on how to blow up the levee and is central to the community. As a father, Wink shows two sides: he teaches Hushpuppy how to survive, but also has angry outbursts as a result of his illness, which Hushpuppy does not fully understand. For a child, she has a lot of independence, even having her own house and cooking, but she desires a closer bond with her father and her mother who she does not know. Hushpuppy takes on leadership from her father at his death and she is the one to stand up to the aurochs without fear.

Gender: Wink reinforces the idea of strength as a masculine quality to Hushpuppy and taunts her for “being a stupid little girl” at times, instead praising through calling her “the man” when she accepts his challenges of strength. Hushpuppy engages in an arm wrestle and learns skills from her father, such as catching and gutting fish and is influenced by his promotion of strong masculinity, feeling uncomfortable when dressed in a stereotypically feminine way in the hospital.

Ethnicity: The film offers representation of a community which includes black people and everyone has the same experience. However, there has been criticism of the film for its use of troubling stereotypes, made worse by the fact that Zeitlin and co-writer Lucy Alibar are both white. bell hooks’ criticises the child version of the ‘strong black female matriarch’ that Hushpuppy represents and argues that Wink embodies all the racist stereotypes that media presents as part of black masculinity. All the inhabitants of the Bathtub are presented as poor, dirty and animalistic, unwilling to be helped by ‘civilisation’, as represented by the hospital. The adults are drunk, aggressive, angry and inattentive, which is a concerning portrayal particularly of the black characters.

A positive aspect of the film is the casting on non-professional actors to play the roles. Dwight Henry plays Wink and personally experienced the impacts of Hurricane Katrina, making him a suitable choice to portray a character who endures a similar catastrophe as he “understand[s] a lot of what the people in that movie, who live on that island, what they go through.” Similarly, Quvenzhané Wallis is naturalistic in her performance because part of her personality and world-view were incorporated into the character, which means the characters are more reflective of real black people and their experiences.

Ideology –

As an independent film, Beasts of the Southern Wild does not necessarily reflect the dominant ideologies of American culture, such as capitalism and emphasis on family above community. Therefore, it is interesting to apply a Marxist lens to the film, which encourages a challenge to Hollywood’s traditional narrative structure and advocates for the freedom of the viewer to interpret the film as they choose.

In some ways, Beasts of the Southern Wild does not adhere to Marxist film principles, as Zeitlin positions the audience with Hushpuppy and encourages a certain emotional response to her through his shot choices; for example, close-ups of her face when her father is dying. Additionally, the Bathtub community takes a somewhat background seat to the relationship between Wink and Hushpuppy, which fits with dominant American ideology of family over friends.

However, the film overall addresses the situation a specific community is going through and their shared experiences, using Hushpuppy as the connection between the audience and this community. The film challenges accepted society by showing it as a threat to the Bathtub community, such as the forceful removal of them from their home, when they are taken to the hospital and made to conform with Hushpuppy wearing a dress that makes her uncomfortable.

Throughout the film, community and nature are praised instead of capitalism and wealth, which fits with the desires of Marxist theorists. In fact, the two worlds are separated, both literally, with “the wall that cuts [Hushpuppy and her community] off” and societally. The Bathtub community has low income and living standards, which challenges what portrayed on-screen in mainstream cinema. This representation is particularly important in the modern world, where Trump’s presidency sought to exploit social divisions rather than ease them. We are encouraged to support the ‘underdog’ community and admire their survival in the challenging situations, although audience perspective can vary based on personal experience.

Spectatorship –

Independent films often aim to challenge the viewer more, which fits with them as an active spectator, who is able to take away a different reading of the film. Zeitlin’s focus on character rather than action creates more of an emotional connection between the viewer and Hushpuppy, which influences their interpretation. Some audience members take an identification view, where they are able to imagine themselves in Hushpuppy’s situation and empathise with her, whereas others may have an assimilation view, where they are only able to feel sympathy, not empathy, and have to witness the character from an external position.

This can also lead to asymmetry of emotional response, as the viewer is unlikely to feel the same level of emotion as the character; for example, Hushpuppy’s grief in Wink’s death scene is far more extreme than the audience could possibly feel towards that event. Our position with Hushpuppy throughout the film makes us more likely to feel a response towards Hushpuppy’s grief than a direct response to Wink’s death.

The focus on Hushpuppy is central to the film and Zeitlin employs to keep her at the centre of our attention, noticeably through her voice-over, but also in lengthy close-ups on her face with shallow depths of field to encourage our empathy towards her. Although the introduction of the fantasy aurochs could disrupt the audience’s immersion, they allow the audience into Hushpuppy’s imaginary world, making us even closer to her. Additionally, the use of handheld camera, non-professional actors and genuine locations all make the film feel more real and can intensify the emotional response for the viewer.