Young actress carries ‘Southern Wild’ into Oscar consideration

It’s an original and challenging piece of film worthy of reflection and multiple viewings. It is also the best movie of 2012 to date.

“Southern Wild” is told through the eyes of a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis). Hushpuppy lives with her father, Wink (Dwight Henry), in a fictional Southern Delta community called Bathtub.

When a storm nearly wipes out Bathtub, Hushpuppy, Wink and other survivors try to rebuild. But the process gets complicated when Wink falls ill, and Hushpuppy is faced with the prospect of living on her own at such a young age.

It’s hard not to watch this film without thinking about the real-life events during Hurricane Katrina. The story has plenty of parallels to that tragic event, but it’s a film that is about much more – a journey to find inner strength and comfort even as the world around you is crumbling.

“Southern Wild” is a hypnotic bit of cinematic poetry that is as vivid as its lead character’s imagination. Zeitlin, who also co-wrote the screenplay, has crafted a film that is as inspiring and hopeful as it is tragic and sad.

The beautiful narrative is accentuated by the absolutely amazing work from Wallis. This young actress is asked to carry the entire film on her tiny shoulders, and she pulls that task off with unbelievable ease. Wallis hits all the right notes in key dramatic scenes, and she also brings that childlike innocence that is so vital to the film’s success. It’s a performance that never crosses into that overbearing child actor territory, an honest and realistic portrayal that will likely garner the 8-year-old Wallis a well-deserved Oscar nomination.

It’s a memorable piece of work in a film you won’t soon forget.

— To get sportswriter/movie reviewer Micheal Compton’s up-to-the minute thoughts on all things movies, visit his blog at mcompton.wordpress.com or his Twitter page at twitter.com/mcompton428. You can also email him at mcompton@bgdailynews.com.