Brew Views: Beasts of the Southern Wild

That other hurricane.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
By MATTHEW SINGER

In the Bathtub—the fictional Louisiana bayou settlement that forms the backdrop for the enchanting Beasts of the Southern Wild—the price of existing off the grid is living in waterlogged squalor. Shot among the ravages of post-Katrina New Orleans but set on the eve of the hurricane's arrival, the film is a clear allegory for the Ninth Ward. But as far as we know, the Bathtub we experience exists only in the mind of Hushpuppy (dynamo Quvenzhané Wallis). And it's got giant, mythical horned pigs in it—it's like Southern-fried, live-action Miyazaki. Is it messy? A bit. But like the Bathtub, that's part of its charm and power.

  1. Showing at: Hollywood Theatre.
  2. Best paired with: Woodchuck Cider.
  3. Also screening: Bigfoot: The Lost Coast Tapes (Laurelhurst).

WWeek 2015

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