I don't get it. That pretty well sums up my thoughts on 2012's independent film darling "Beasts of the Southern Wild". The film looks good and the performances are really good (especially Quvenzhane Wallis in the starring role - one of the better child performances I've seen). It's not that the message of the film is overly obscure - it's essentially a coming-of-age story. It's how the story is told that really had me scratching my head. The narrative framework as well as much of the dialogue comes off as very self-indulgent and sometimes downright weird. Director Ben Zeitlin obviously has a lot of talent. He just needs to reign it in a little bit in his next effort.
Bryce **
BANGERANG SCORE: **
