Ben Zeitlin and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (2012) Context/Analysis
Benh Zeitlin and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (2012) Context/Analysis
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Zeitlin, 2012) is a film co-written, co-scored and directed by Benh Zeitlin. The film was based of a play written by Lucy Alibar called "Juicy and Delicious". Alibar became Zeitlin's screenwriting partner for BOTSW and they both were nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 85th Academy Awards. The film also nobly acquired three other Academy Award nominations such as Best Picture, Best Director (Benh Zeitlin) and Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis), making her at only age 9 become the youngest Best Actress nominee in history.
Benh Zeitlin had previously only directed short films so BOTSW was his first feature length film, as well as a passion project. His collaboration with Alibar was no question as they both met at summer camp when they were teenagers and had stayed friends ever since.
In "Juicy and Delicious" Alibar writes about a boy called Hushpuppy as the protagonist but in the film she and Zeitlin decided to make the protagonist a fierce little girl instead. The film is inspired by one of the greatest tragedies in modern American history, hurricane Katrina, the tropical cyclone that hit the southeast part of the United States in 2005 and caused major devastation comparable to hurricane Harvey in 2017. Katrina hit areas such as Louisiana where the majority of the population was non-caucasian. The way the government, with President Bush in office, acted with in an unhurried manner to save lives and homes was reacted to as a racist move by the president. However in contrast to the happenings in 2005, the film portrays a community of the south that doesn't want help from the government but is self-sufficient and survivalist.
The film is set on a levee in the southern Louisiana Bayou called "the Bathtub" where a life-threatening storm is approaching but the community has an optimistic outlook on the future. The optimism is mainly an effect of the isolationism the community pride themselves with as they see "the dry land" with a perspective that it's boring and restricted juxtaposed with their self-proclaimed free land. The community is although rightly free from consumerism and status as they all, young and old, black and white, all binary opposites, party a great deal together. It's portrayed as a community without prejudice and political oppositions where all differences are put aside. As this might seem like an ideal society it has its downs where cleanliness is far out of reach and considering they all live in shacks with pigs and chickens in a companionable manner both mental and physical health risks are prominent. To counteract that, their cure is alcohol, and there is no age limit for drinking as we see children drinking in the film. As a product of that community Hushpuppy is a charming protagonist as she is quite independent for her age and wiser than expected. Quevenzhané Wallis, playing Hushpuppy, elevates the film tremendously to such a degree that the film wouldn't be the same without her.
Quvenzhané was cast at only five years old although the casting call was set for girls between the ages six and nine. At her audition she impressed the filmmakers with her reading abilities, fantastic scream and ability to burp on command, all of which are used in the film. Dwight Henry playing Hushpuppy's father Wink wasn't looking for an acting job as he was a baker. He owned a bakery across the street to where the studio was and as business neighbours the employees formed a beneficial relationship where Henry was invited to audition. Henry explained in an interview with the San Diego Reader that he himself was a survivor of both hurricane Betsy and Katrina and that no outsider would have brought such passion to the role as he did.
Bibliography:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1022455/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/beasts-of-the-southern-wild
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_the_Southern_Wild#Production
"Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Zeitlin, 2012) is a film co-written, co-scored and directed by Benh Zeitlin. The film was based of a play written by Lucy Alibar called "Juicy and Delicious". Alibar became Zeitlin's screenwriting partner for BOTSW and they both were nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Award at the 85th Academy Awards. The film also nobly acquired three other Academy Award nominations such as Best Picture, Best Director (Benh Zeitlin) and Best Actress (Quvenzhané Wallis), making her at only age 9 become the youngest Best Actress nominee in history.
Benh Zeitlin had previously only directed short films so BOTSW was his first feature length film, as well as a passion project. His collaboration with Alibar was no question as they both met at summer camp when they were teenagers and had stayed friends ever since.
In "Juicy and Delicious" Alibar writes about a boy called Hushpuppy as the protagonist but in the film she and Zeitlin decided to make the protagonist a fierce little girl instead. The film is inspired by one of the greatest tragedies in modern American history, hurricane Katrina, the tropical cyclone that hit the southeast part of the United States in 2005 and caused major devastation comparable to hurricane Harvey in 2017. Katrina hit areas such as Louisiana where the majority of the population was non-caucasian. The way the government, with President Bush in office, acted with in an unhurried manner to save lives and homes was reacted to as a racist move by the president. However in contrast to the happenings in 2005, the film portrays a community of the south that doesn't want help from the government but is self-sufficient and survivalist.
The film is set on a levee in the southern Louisiana Bayou called "the Bathtub" where a life-threatening storm is approaching but the community has an optimistic outlook on the future. The optimism is mainly an effect of the isolationism the community pride themselves with as they see "the dry land" with a perspective that it's boring and restricted juxtaposed with their self-proclaimed free land. The community is although rightly free from consumerism and status as they all, young and old, black and white, all binary opposites, party a great deal together. It's portrayed as a community without prejudice and political oppositions where all differences are put aside. As this might seem like an ideal society it has its downs where cleanliness is far out of reach and considering they all live in shacks with pigs and chickens in a companionable manner both mental and physical health risks are prominent. To counteract that, their cure is alcohol, and there is no age limit for drinking as we see children drinking in the film. As a product of that community Hushpuppy is a charming protagonist as she is quite independent for her age and wiser than expected. Quevenzhané Wallis, playing Hushpuppy, elevates the film tremendously to such a degree that the film wouldn't be the same without her.
Quvenzhané was cast at only five years old although the casting call was set for girls between the ages six and nine. At her audition she impressed the filmmakers with her reading abilities, fantastic scream and ability to burp on command, all of which are used in the film. Dwight Henry playing Hushpuppy's father Wink wasn't looking for an acting job as he was a baker. He owned a bakery across the street to where the studio was and as business neighbours the employees formed a beneficial relationship where Henry was invited to audition. Henry explained in an interview with the San Diego Reader that he himself was a survivor of both hurricane Betsy and Katrina and that no outsider would have brought such passion to the role as he did.
Bibliography:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1022455/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/beasts-of-the-southern-wild
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beasts_of_the_Southern_Wild#Production
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| Quvenzhané Wallis as Hushpuppy in BOTSW (2012). |
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| Dwight Henry in his bakery. |
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