Oscars 2013: Ranking This Year's Best Pictures
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
Initial Impression: Every year, there are one of two films I dread watching, simply because they look like they're trying too hard. Be it the way they're marketed, or even the way the Oscar committee presents them like Simba upon high, there's always a movie or two that I feel like I'm being forced to watch. This, along with Amour, were the two I felt like I was going to be clawing at the seats in an attempt to stay awake during. I'm sorry, but if I see a little girl running with sparklers down the center of a poster that's supposed to say "Indie adventure with social relevance", I tend to be a little... apprehensive. I do have my reasons though: the concept of a whimsical story connecting itself to Hurricane Katrina had already played itself out with Benjamin Button, the fact that the film was being sold by the pre-requisite plucky young (and naturally Award Nominated) protagonist made it seem rather annoying, and on top of all of that it looked like it was filmed as a hybrid "Indie Film/Levi's Commercial". Jubilant Southern folk reveling in their poor yet somehow happy life, with sparklers in hand and semi-blurry handicam work, and a soundtrack that screams "INDIE!"; this didn't sound like my cup of tea. Though to be fair, The Help didn't sell me on its inclusion before I saw it, and that film ended up bowling me over in my attempts not to like it. The Verdict: So I'm supposed to believe that this little girl started off a chain of events that would kill her father, push global warming further, AND release a mythical beast? On top of thinking that this girl should be slavishly devoted to a really, really lousy father; and that she should be happy to grow up in squalor pre and post natural disaster, because it's "home"? This played more like a horror film for me than anything, because even a fellow member of the audience and I wondered just what type of message was this pushing? I get it: Katrina was a massive failure on the part of the U.S. Government, FEMA in particular. But does that mean the hospitals are evil, and that the folks who are at least trying to help are the ones that aren't to be trusted? I was seriously rethinking the end of E.T. after this film, as the escape from the displacement shelter really had me feeling a twisted Spielbergian vibe. I was not impressed with this film, and as adorable as its young lead is, this wasn't a Best Actress worthy nomination. She acted like a kid on camera, which is basically what was happening. I give the leads in the film props for seeming like a convincing father/daughter team, but over all this seemed like a blend of Harry Potter and Precious, which did not go over with me.