Beasts of the Southern Wild

"One of the most striking films ever to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Benh Zeitlin’s directorial debut could serve as a poster child for everything American independent cinema aspires to be but seldom is. The film is teeming with creativity in every aspect of its being."—Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize (as well as the award for Best Cinematography) at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival AND the Camera d'Or prize for best first film at the Cannes Film Festival, the visionary Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the most lauded American independent films in recent years. The New York Times called it "among the best films to play at [Sundance] in two decades." This magical realist film is set in a fictional, mythologized part of southern Louisiana nicknamed the Bathtub. There, a six-year-old girl lives in a state of grace and wonder, even as she and her father struggle to survive south of the levees as ice caps melt and the seas rise.

Often described as a truly wild version of Where the Wild Things Are, Beasts is also earning comparisons to sources as far-ranging as William Faulkner, Terrence Malick, and Hayao Miyazaki. Beasts is sure to be one of the most talked-about films of the year (if not the decade), so we’re pleased to be able to offer Wexner Center members an advance opportunity to experience it! (91 mins.)