Beasts of the Southern Wild

What a debut film. This kind of reminds me of when Neil Blomkamp came out with District 9 and so many people including myself was just awe struck at what a first time filmmaker could do. Moon also comes to mind. These two films are obviously very different from Beasts but the future for Benh Zeitlin is wide open now because he created a magical little film. I use the word magical because it is what really drives the film for me. I watched it with my girlfriend who didn't like it as much. She seemed to change her mind or at least think about it more after I told her that if you watch the movie in the frame of mind that what you're watching is a magically mini universe the Zeitlin created and that it is a stand a lone place and time...the film becomes less sporadic and more fantastic. Two of the things that stood out to me most was of course the performance of the little girl. She was incredible and even if she doesn't have a lasting career in the future I can at least put this on and enjoy a wonderful performance from such a bright and adorable little girl. The second thing that stood out was the music. It added so much atmosphere and mood to already beautiful shot scenes. I was like a southern whimsical Godspeed You Black Emperor. The track "Storm" must have been a huge inspiration and even if it wasn't it fits beautifully for the subject of this film. I highly recommend checking out this film from a great up and coming filmmaker.

9/10