Oscar Nominations 2013: Beasts of the Southern Wild

It's not often that the Academy pick films that are so original that they are unclassifiable by genre and are quite unlike anything that has ever preceded them. It usually requires a number of ground breaking directors to make a number of films in a particular style before the Academy even begins to consider them. However, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a film so original that I am amazed the Oscars' electorate have chosen to include it in the best film category, but this is very much to their credit.

The film tells the story of six year old Hush Puppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) and her father Wink (Dwight Henry) as they, along with their Bayou community set in the Mississippi delta known as the Bathtub, await the oncoming Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, Hush Puppy worries for her father whose health is deteriorating quickly.

The first thing to note is the beauty of the film, the colour, the light, and the landscapes. This is of course contrasted by the grim and hard poverty that it is also depicted. The two are juxtaposed and add to the feeling that the film is being seen through the rose tinted eyes of a six year old who knows nothing of a better world. But the storm soon comes and almost literally turns her world upside down forcing the girl into a state of fear but also fierce courage.

This film could easily be mistaken as a political film commenting on environmental matters or the nature of the victims. Those who met with the full brutality of Katrina were often those who were already facing the hardest battles in life. However, this is not a political film and any messages of that nature one wishes to extract soon become too obscure. In reality, this is a film about human emotion and the view of a fearsome world through the eyes of a young girl.

Hush Puppy's relationship with her drunken, ill tempered father is key and despite his neglect and temperamental nature, Hush Puppy shows dedication in attempting to heal her father with the blind loyalty only a child could possess. Throughout all this Hush Puppy's mother is conspicuous by her absence, which remains somewhat of a mystery throughout the film. But, Hush Puppy is determined to see her mother again and she remains by her side spiritually throughout the tale.

It is Hush Puppy's imagination that guides us through the story, and at times one is left unsure as to what is real and what is a figment of her imagination. This has drawn many to make comparisons with the sublime Pan's Labyrinth, a film not totally dissimilar in its themes of escapism and the conquering of fear by a child caught in the midst of an incredibly desperate situation. The idea of fear is represented throughout Beasts of the Southern Wild by the marauding aurochs from the stories she is told by a Bathtub woman. It is this child's bravery, courage and transcendence of fear that makes this an emotional story. She does this for her own survival and that of her father, despite his tempestuous nature.

This film is magical, dark, and above all, profoundly original. However, it is challenging and perhaps the heartfelt emotions at the centre of it could be missed by some looking to read some grander message. Quvenzhané Wallis deserves all the nominations she has received for her incredibly mature and assured performance. I doubt this film will win the best film award, but its nomination is evidence that the Academy is maturing and becoming more radical in its decision process. This is not standard Oscar bait, it is far superior and it has hooked many an admirer.

Oscar Nominations 2013: Silver Linings Playbook

I am not overly familiar with David O Russell's work. I am aware that I Heart Huckerbees divides critics and that the Fighter was relatively well received when it was nominated for awards a few years ago. Silver Linings Playbook is a very different beast and has been described by the marketers as a rom-com. As is so often the case these days, there is far more 'rom' than 'com', but that is not to say it lacks charm. It only seems appropriate to me that any film nominated for best film should transcend the rom-com genre in some way, whether this film manages that is up for debate.

The film follows the story of two individuals both overcoming difficult periods in their lives and mental health problems. Pat (Bradley Cooper) has served eight months in a Psychiatric unit after walking in on his wife sleeping with a colleague and beating up her lover, he is subsequently diagnosed as bipolar. After his release, Pat is determined to rejuvenate his marriage despite a restraining order placed on him regarding his now estranged wife. Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who is the sister of one of Pat's friends, is also suffering with a form of depression after the sudden death of her husband and has had deep emotional problems ever since which involved her sleeping with the majority of her coworkers resulting in her dismissal. I shan't divulge too much information about the manner in which their relationship develops, but its course is obvious from the outset. As with all romantic films though, this is not the point, and rather the entertainment comes from the journey rather than the destination.

One of the most commendable elements of this film lies in its tackling of a tough subject, mental illness. It is perhaps fortunate that such a film is being so well publicised just as the US attempts to begin its own national conversation about the subject. One thing I have always noticed about the American approach to mental health problems (and health problems in general) is their reliance on medication. On their first meeting Pat and Tiffany have an illuminating conversation about the different drugs they have been taking and how they have affected their personalities. It is a subtle nod, but a point certainly worth making.

For all its charm however, there are numerous problems, so much so that one really has to question why it has been nominated in the best film category at this year's Oscars. First, and perhaps this is a conscious move, but the first half of the film is frantic and moves at an uncomfortable pace. Shots are short and dialogue has little time to settle, with characters often talking over one another. I can see why this may have been done, as a reflection of the characters' mental states, but I personally found it difficult to engage and involve myself with the film when it was so hard to settle.

I also found some of the opening dialogue hard to stomach as plenty of it committed the ultimate sin, in my view, of using lazy character and plot set up lines. A moment such as this occurred when Pat returned home to his father (played very well by Robert De Niro incidentally) and explained to him why he had been sent to the psychiatric unit in the first place, as if the father needed reminding. Of course he was really explaining this to the audience. I find this method of explaining back story patronising and jarring.

Knowing how predictable the Oscars usually are, I cannot see this film getting anywhere near the best film gong, but it did have its plus sides. Jennifer Lawrence does stand a chance of taking home the award in the best female actor category, especially after picking up a similar award at the Golden Globes, the barometer for predicting the results of the self appointed 'biggest awards in the movie industry'. I do still think the film is enjoyable, and some will really enjoy it, especially those who are used to, and usually enjoy the standard rom-com template, and this film is certainly more advanced than your average Richard Curtis or Hugh Grant romantic flutter. However, there hangs over the film an element of pretension in its belief that it is much more than an advanced rom-com, a belief that has now been vindicated by the Oscars committee. Enjoy this film, but don't believe it is anything more than a romantic film attempting to dress up in something more finessed.