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Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Drama · Fantasy · Adventure · 2012

Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in 'the Bathtub', a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe—for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack—temperatures rise and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

Movie details

Beasts of the Southern Wild

“I gotta take care of mine.”

2012 Drama · Fantasy · Adventure 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in 'the Bathtub', a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe—for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack—temperatures rise and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Beasts of the Southern Wild?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Benh Zeitlin

Written by

Benh Zeitlin · Lucy Alibar

Quvenzhané Wallis

Quvenzhané Wallis

Hushpuppy

Dwight Henry

Dwight Henry

Wink

Levy Easterly

Levy Easterly

Jean Battiste

G

Gina Montana

Miss Bathsheeba

Lowell Landes

Lowell Landes

Walrus

P

Pamela Harper

Little Jo

A

Amber Henry

LZA

Court is in session

Put Beasts of the Southern Wild on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.