Beasts of the Southern Wild (1:31) 2012

This is the summer of very different movies and Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the best examples. The movie was filmed in Louisiana and has exquisite scenery, except for the shots of the industrial complex. Hushpuppy is an adorable, imaginative six year old who lives in The Bathtub with her heavy drinking father, Wink. The Bathtub is based on the low lying Isle de Jean Charles. The residents of the Bathtub are very poor and isolated but are a close knit community who believe in celebrating life. A big storm comes and many residents do not survive. Wink and Hushpuppy are among the survivors who are forcibly evacuated. The survivors join others at a shelter. Wink is seriously ill, actually dying, but the group decides to break out and return to the Bathtub. I took Beasts of the Southern Wild as a cautionary tale of poverty and global warming. When the oceans rise, many of the poor will be the first to perish. Those who do survive will do much better than most of the middle and upper class whose survival skills are not well honed. This is a highly recommended film, the six year old unknown actor is fantastic.