beasts.

i have this strange obsession with both literature/films set in the deep south, and the idea of living in a fort like community (think monica canilao's impressive foraged nest building talents) so I was interested in seeing 'beasts of the southern wild.' what i didn't expect was to be so utterly blown away by the film's protagnoist, 6 year old hush puppy who lives with her father wink in 'the bathtub,'  a swampy shanty town south of the levee in louisiana. of course the ghost of katrina haunts the film but it is also laced with a poignant magical realism that is spurred by how hush puppy deals with the information given to her by the adults in her life, which is an aspect of childhood i still feel very present in my life; a sense of wonder and magic. here, however, this magic is also darkened by storms, death and loss, and yet still the film retains an incredible landscape of hope. if this is playing near you, go see it, i think you'll love it too.