Adapted from a play, the plot covers two main storylines – a
father teaching his young daughter how to survive in the world, and a community
who want to deal with a severe weather event in their own way. Where this becomes unlike anything you’ve
ever seen before is in the setting: ‘The Bathtub’. The bayous of Florida, outside the levee. It's a wild, primitive kind of life for the residents but that's the way they like it.
The main character is named Hushpuppy, a young girl whose mother just up and left her to be cared for by her father Wink. Wink has a tough love approach to raising Hushpuppy, but you can see that it is based on love. As the film progresses we suspect that it's because Wink has a medical condition which means he may or may not be around to take care of Hushpuppy for much longer, so he is teaching her to be self-sufficient even at the tender age of about 7. Problems arise for both when a huge storm hits the bayou (very Hurricane Katrina-like) and the water level rises, forcing the Bathtub dwellers into desperate action as their ecosystem struggles to survive. When the Government tries to forcibly evacuate them, they become even more determined to stay/get home.
Quevenzhane Wallis gives an extraordinary performance, being only around 7 years old and never having acted before. It's fierce and strong but also wondrous. Most of the actors in the film are actually non-actors from the area where the movie was filmed. It's a credit to the director that he has drawn such naturalistic performances from these people who must have gone through hell in some parts.
All of the above does absolutely no justice to the magic of this film. Hushpuppy's voiceovers give an insight into the poetic thoughts of this fierce young girl with a softer side as she longs to meet her mother. Her interest in ancient cave paintings and creatures manifests in the release of a group of ancient aurochs (large scary ox like creatures) who were frozen in ice, which has melted in a really unsubtle dig at global warming. As the movie progresses, the aurochs stampede towards the Bathtub and confrontation with Hushpuppy, but is it real or all in her mind? Will she actually find her mother?
What I loved about this movie was the combination of fierceness of these people but the joy they take in their simple lifestyles and the strength of the community and their roots. There are some very strong messages here, some obvious and some that require a bit of quiet reflection to notice. You won't be able to shake some of the images that you will see here so you will have time to think it over. It's a completely unique setting and unlike any other movies I've seen. There are no easy answers given and even the title is a puzzle - does it refer to the stampeding aurochs or the people of the Bathtub themselves?
The main character is named Hushpuppy, a young girl whose mother just up and left her to be cared for by her father Wink. Wink has a tough love approach to raising Hushpuppy, but you can see that it is based on love. As the film progresses we suspect that it's because Wink has a medical condition which means he may or may not be around to take care of Hushpuppy for much longer, so he is teaching her to be self-sufficient even at the tender age of about 7. Problems arise for both when a huge storm hits the bayou (very Hurricane Katrina-like) and the water level rises, forcing the Bathtub dwellers into desperate action as their ecosystem struggles to survive. When the Government tries to forcibly evacuate them, they become even more determined to stay/get home.
Quevenzhane Wallis gives an extraordinary performance, being only around 7 years old and never having acted before. It's fierce and strong but also wondrous. Most of the actors in the film are actually non-actors from the area where the movie was filmed. It's a credit to the director that he has drawn such naturalistic performances from these people who must have gone through hell in some parts.
All of the above does absolutely no justice to the magic of this film. Hushpuppy's voiceovers give an insight into the poetic thoughts of this fierce young girl with a softer side as she longs to meet her mother. Her interest in ancient cave paintings and creatures manifests in the release of a group of ancient aurochs (large scary ox like creatures) who were frozen in ice, which has melted in a really unsubtle dig at global warming. As the movie progresses, the aurochs stampede towards the Bathtub and confrontation with Hushpuppy, but is it real or all in her mind? Will she actually find her mother?
What I loved about this movie was the combination of fierceness of these people but the joy they take in their simple lifestyles and the strength of the community and their roots. There are some very strong messages here, some obvious and some that require a bit of quiet reflection to notice. You won't be able to shake some of the images that you will see here so you will have time to think it over. It's a completely unique setting and unlike any other movies I've seen. There are no easy answers given and even the title is a puzzle - does it refer to the stampeding aurochs or the people of the Bathtub themselves?
