Once Upon Our Time: Behn Zeitlin’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, by way of Overlook’s Corridor
February 16, 2013 by wondersinthedark
By Bob Clark
At the request of regular contributor Jaime Grijalba-Gomez, I’ve taken this week to expand upon my thoughts on last year’s Beasts of the Southern Wild and drum up a full piece for his Oscar series over at Overlook’s Corridor, where it’ll be going up Saturday night. Since I’ve been spending my time here recently writing my thoughts on what it means to see movies in theatrical venues, here’s an excerpt from the review that deals explicitly with my experience with the film on the big-screen.
When I went to see the film during its initial release in the middle of last year, I was first struck by the immense amount of attention it was receiving from older audiences. There were one or two pairs of parents standing on line who had kids in tow, a not together unusual sight for art-house theaters, but for the most part the crowd the movie had assembled was one of adults, and not just the usual mass of twenty/thirty-somethings that habitually seek out art-films either. Many of the attending filmgoers I found myself surrounded with were well past retirement age, and as such well past the ages that receive most of the attention in the film’s running time. And furthermore there was such a crowd, the likes of which I haven’t encountered before in years of seeing movies at small suburban art-houses like this, that it was only by the skin of my teeth that I was able to purchase a ticket and cram myself into the theater, right up by the front of the screen, the lines and seats so teeming with patrons that you’d think the screen would be filled to fire-department regulation capacity.
What was it about this film that by its very reputation it was able to draw crowds large enough to sell-out at a theater which would ordinarily be lucky to fill half its seats at a time? Is it the simple power of the innocent characters up against reality’s intimidations as seen through the palpable veneer of the American dream? Is it the dense, immediate imagery of the piece, the kind that encourages you to get up as close to the screen as you can and reach out to feel it with your bare hands? Perhaps it’s that mesh of the real and the unreal, and furthermore the crossed barriers and comfort zones when dealing with dreams so intimately based upon reality, that kindles this kind of curiosity and stokes the fire of imagination.
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Fair enough Bob, but for me though BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD features an extraordinary performance by young Quvenzhane Wallis and a richly imagined visual scheme, it’sstill largely unsatisfying due to the incompatibility of magic with gritty realism. The film aims for but never achieves an emotional epiphany, and is driven by an overriding desire to manufacture pathos with an uninvolving and patchy screenplay and the most manipulative music we’ve heard in quite a while. The film is a narrative mess, though there are some arresting moments. The film was well-promoted, and there is a sturdy measure of white guilt woven into the story, so yes it has resonated with many. For those who were affected by the film, I salute you, and wish I could be there with you.
Hi Sam,
I just saw the film last night, and I’d have to agree with you. I felt quite bored while watching it, and couldn’t place my finger on why. SOMETHING was missing. It felt more like an assembled montage of beautiful shots with nice music (which I agree was manipulative) than a film. I’m not one for fantasy mixed with realism (see Where the Wild Things Are), although I did enjoy Pan’s Labyrinth… and like you said, it didn’t really work. I also thought there were odd scenes, like the one where the kids visit the brothel. I’m mostly just rambling here, but I’m glad I’m not alone. The film was okay, but nothing special.