Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
80%RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 4 Oscars
90 wins & 135 nominations total
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fantastical, emotionally powerful journey and a strong case of filmmaking that values imagination over money
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a movie that will make you feel all the emotions. From the infectious mad gusto to the dreamy tale of a fictional Bayou community, this movie will take you on a journey that you won’t forget. The young actress who plays Hushpuppy is a force to be reckoned with, and her performance will leave you in awe. While some may find the characters bizarrely ennobled child abusers, the movie is ultimately about embracing life and leaving your stamp on the world. So grab some tissues and get ready for an incomparable cinematic experience.
Production Company(ies)
Paramount Pictures,
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for thematic material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and brief sensuality
Year of Release
2012
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS
-
Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 33m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 4, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama/Adventure
Keyword(s)
Beasts of the Southern Wild, PG-13, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, 1h 33m, starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, directed by Benh Zeitlin, written by Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar, produced by Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, box office gross $12.8M, reviewed by Anne Thompson, J Hoberman, Candice Frederick, Francesca Steele, Dwight Brown, Stanley Kauffmann, Dan Bayer, Cory Woodroof, Jason Adams, Josh Long, Mike Massie, MPAA rating Child Imperilment, Brief Sensuality, Language, Some Disturbing Images, Thematic Material, Fox Searchlight
Worldwide gross: $21,107,746
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $27,212,622
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,577
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,967,571
US/Canada gross: $12,795,746
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $16,496,588
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,470
US/Canada opening weekend: $169,702
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $218,784
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,636
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $1,800,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $2,320,604
Production budget ranking: 2,015
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,249,645
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $23,642,373
ROI to date (est.): 662%
ROI ranking: 188
Dwight Henry – Wink
Levy Easterly – Jean Battiste
Lowell Landes – Walrus
Pamela Harper – Little Jo
Gina Montana – Miss Bathsheeba
Benh Zeitlin – Director, Writer
Lucy Alibar – Writer
Michael Gottwald – Producer
Dan Janvey – Producer
Josh Penn – Producer
Director(s)
Benh Zeitlin
Writer(s)
Benh Zeitlin, Lucy Alibar
Producer(s)
Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 4 Oscars
90 wins & 135 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (209) | Top Critics (66) | Fresh (180) | Rotten (29)
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…
March 31, 2020
Anne Thompson
indieWire
TOP CRITIC
The movie’s mad gusto is truly infectious.
February 22, 2019
J. Hoberman
ARTINFO.com
TOP CRITIC
It will not only stir your soul, but also open your mind to the possibility of a real-life Promised Land.
September 8, 2017 | Rating: A
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
Beasts of the Southern Wild, a deliciously dreamy tale about a fictional Bayou community in the backwaters of Louisiana, does not so much jump off the screen as float effortlessly off it.
August 11, 2017
Francesca Steele
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
It’s an amazing vision. A work of art.
November 14, 2016 | Rating: 4/4
Dwight Brown
National Newspaper Publishers Association
TOP CRITIC
What is also extraordinary is that almost all the people we see are actors. So this is not a documentary but a moving enactment by people who are themselves moved.
June 17, 2013
Stanley Kauffmann
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
“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.
June 2, 2022 | Rating: 9/10
Dan Bayer
Next Best Picture
Beasts of the Southern Wild takes the tone of its opening jubilation and stretches it out for the entire duration creating an incomparable cinematic experience that captures the imagination in the best way possible.
February 11, 2022
Cory Woodroof
Lumination Network
Beasts wants us to emotionally connect to what basically consist of a bunch of bizarrely ennobled child abusers in a way I was never entirely able to
July 2, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
Though Hushpuppy’s world may not last for long, she and her people continue to live, and thrive, and leave their stamp on it. Beasts of the Southern Wild is about embracing that attitude.
March 10, 2021
Josh Long
Battleship Pretension
Wallis’ performance is commendable, showcasing a young actress who convincingly embodies the distraught, innocent, immature, and yet enduring mindset of a child in peril.
December 1, 2020 | Rating: 5/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
There are so many scenes in Beasts of the Southern Wild that work magnificently.
September 2, 2020 | Rating: 4.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels database.
Benh-Zeitlin.jpg
