Beasts of the Southern Wild
Seen it?2012 | 93 min | Drama, Fantasy, Adventure
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (87% on Rotten Tomatoes), it collected a shelf of major awards and it made about 13 times its budget. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for fantasy fans and adventure fans. If you loved Deliverance or The Road, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Exciting.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 33 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13: scary moments and peril. Probably too much for younger kids.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
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.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
87% on Rotten Tomatoes, 86 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.8 out of 10
- AwardsVery strong
Won 1 BAFTA: 66th British Academy Film Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay. Won 1 Critics' Choice Award: 18th Critics' Choice Awards: Best Young Actor/Actress. Won 1 Cannes award: 65th Cannes Film Festival: Best Adapted Screenplay. Also nominated for 2 more Critics' Choice Awards and 1 PGA Award. Plus 32 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$23 million worldwide on a $2 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 115K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Benh Zeitlin
- Quvenzhané WallisHushpuppy
- Dwight HenryWink
- Levy EasterlyJean Battiste
- Gina MontanaMiss Bathsheeba
- Lowell LandesWalrus
- Pamela HarperLittle Jo
- Amber HenryLZA
- Jonshel AlexanderJoy Strong
- Nicholas ClarkBoy with Bell
- Joseph BrownWinston