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.