Beasts of the Southern Wild

PG-13

Released Jun 27, 2012

1 hr. 33 min.

Drama

Adventure

Fantasy

List

87%

210 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives with her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), in a remote Delta community. Wink is a stern taskmaster, but he is preparing his young daughter for the end of the world. When Wink falls mysteriously ill, nature seems to fall ill with him. Temperatures rise, the ice caps melt and fearsome prehistoric beasts called aurochs run loose. Rising waters threaten to engulf their community, sending Hushpuppy in search of her long-lost mother.

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Critics Consensus

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fantastical, emotionally powerful journey and a strong case of filmmaking that values imagination over money.

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CAROLYN P

Wow! Just wow. So much meaning, depth to this movie. I appreciate the insight to the ways in which others live and die right here in our own country. Very well cast, great writing and directing and I enjoyed the music very much.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

Full Review

Cameron C

Masterpiece. I watched with my 12 year old daughter. When it finished my daughter immediately said 'that was a work of art'. Such an original movie and just so meaningful. 5 stars

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/20/23

Full Review

Kelsey C

I think this movie is a very good movie. I think the Quvenzhane Wallis (Hushpuppy) did a fantastic job and I don't think any other actress her age could have done a better job at the part. I love the story of a girl and her relationship with her father, and how he teaches her to be strong, and learn how to do things on her own, because he knows he isn't going to be around forever. I loved the truck bed being used at as boat, I thought it was very clever. I think this movie is fantastic and I would recommend it to many people.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/13/22

Full Review

Thomas M

The best filmmaking debut ever from Benh Zeitlin! With the best acting performance from Quvenzhané Wallis!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/22

Full Review

Audience Member

First and foremost the message behind this movie is powerful. What lengths and journeys will you take to preserve your way of life? How can culture preserve what they have or individually who they are. All at the risk of total control of outside influences. You are your own mythical beast with your own tale. These are the things that I took away from this. The setting and acting felt authentic to the kind of story they were telling. All in all, it was fine, I wasn't wild about it. Hushpuppy's Odyssey is one fraught with enchanting moments drizzled with exasperating choices and assumptions. In the end, I'm not the right mythical beast for this tale.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Regina G

Quvenzhane Wallis did an amazing job in this film, and the movie in general had an amazing story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/28/22

Full Review

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Benh Zeitlin

Director

Quvenzhané Wallis

Hushpuppy

Dwight Henry

Wink

Levy Easterly

Jean Battiste

Lowell Landes

Walrus

Pamela Harper

Little Jo

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Anne Thompson

indieWire

The brilliant, original four-hankie dystopian family drama from New Orleans newcomer Benh Zeitlin far surpassed any expectations for a scruffy $1.5 million effort from an unknown film collective...

Mar 31, 2020

Full Review

J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

The movie's mad gusto is truly infectious.

Feb 22, 2019

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

It will not only stir your soul, but also open your mind to the possibility of a real-life Promised Land.

Rated: A

Sep 8, 2017

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Overall, Beasts of the Southern Wild contains undeniable vision and ambition, even if the emotional clarity feels perhaps too certain for a child in the abstract world on display.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 20, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Beasts” grabbed me and carried me through the full gamut of emotions so effectively that even when I was being manipulated I just didn’t care. There is so much heart and feeling that saturates this film.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" is a vibrant, moving testament to the world's interconnectedness. It is also one of cinema's most difficult, hardest-won coming-of-age stories, which makes that even more impressive.

Rated: 9/10

Jun 2, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) lives with her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), in a remote Delta community. Wink is a stern taskmaster, but he is preparing his young daughter for the end of the world. When Wink falls mysteriously ill, nature seems to fall ill with him. Temperatures rise, the ice caps melt and fearsome prehistoric beasts called aurochs run loose. Rising waters threaten to engulf their community, sending Hushpuppy in search of her long-lost mother.

Director: Benh Zeitlin
Executive Producer: Philipp Engelhorn, Paul Mezey, Michael Raisler
Screenwriter: Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Court 13 Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Child Imperilment|Brief Sensuality|Language|Some Disturbing Images|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 27, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.8M

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