Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) on Netflix
Hushpuppy, a six-year-old, lives with her ailing, hot-tempered father Wink on a bayou island called the Bathtub. When a flood covers the island, the two stay behind.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.2/1087,073 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes87%
Trailer
Plot summary
The Bathtub is a small community on a Louisiana bayou island beyond the levee, and Wink holds it above anywhere else. His six-year-old daughter Hushpuppy learns in Miss Bathsheba's schoolhouse about the aurochs, giant horned beasts that once terrorized cavemen, and hears that the ice caps will melt and leave the Bathtub underwater. Wink is ailing and hot-tempered, and the way he raises Hushpuppy is meant to prepare her for a time when he will not be there. When the weather worsens and neighbors flee the coming flood, Wink gathers friends and tells them to ride the storm out; the water covers the island overnight.
Cast
- Pamela Harperas Little Jo
- Amber Henryas LZA
- Nicholas Clarkas Boy with Bell
- Joseph Brownas Winston
- Henry D. Colemanas Peter T
- Kaliana Broweras T-Lou
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Wallis auditioned for the lead role of Hushpuppy at age five, younger than the six-to-nine casting call, but won the filmmakers over with her reading ability, a tremendous scream and her ability to burp on command, all of which ended up in the movie.
- Quvenzhané Wallis was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress at age 9, making her the youngest performer ever nominated in that category.
- During her audition, Wallis refused a directorial instruction to throw a water bottle at another actor because she felt it was wrong to do so, which convinced director Benh Zeitlin that she embodied the moral core of the character Hushpuppy.
- Dwight Henry said he was in Hurricane Katrina in neck-high water and brought a passion to the part that an outside actor who had never seen a storm or faced losing everything could not have. He was two years old when Hurricane Betsy hit New Orleans and his parents had to put him on the roof.
- Dwight Henry, who plays Wink, was not looking for an acting job and had no acting experience. He owned a bakery called Henry's Bakery and Deli right across the street from the casting agency where Court 13 had their studio, and they used to come over and have lunch or breakfast in the morning.
- The film won the Caméra d'Or award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival after competing in the Un Certain Regard section, and also won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered.
