Beasts Of The Southern Wild: mini review

I saw a short clip of this film in a fan-made music-video on youtube and I instantly wanted to watch the whole movie.It follows the story of a young girl in an isolated fishing community in Louisiana. The area is known to the locals as The Bathtub and is under threat of destruction due to soil erosion. The girl's name is Hushpuppy,a  bright 6 year old living in squalid conditions with her father, her mother's absence is mentioned throughout but never explained. 
On paper, the film sounds very bleak and depressing, and could have been, in the wrong hands; but the film is hopeful and sweet without ever being sentimental or insulting to the audience,The acting performances were absolutely perfect, I learned afterwards that the young lead actress Quvenzhané Wallis was nominated for an academy award for her performance, at eight years old she is the youngest actress in history to achieve that and in all honesty, she deserved it. The plot moves along at a nice pace and mainly concerns Hushpuppy and her father's concerns and optimism respectively, about the possibility of their home being flooded.
They live as Swamp Folk, off the grid and outside of society. There is a scene where Hushpuppy's teacher speaks about the polar icecaps melting and the giant, prehistoric beasts frozen within them known as Aurochs. In Hushpuppy's mind, the Auroch's become a symbol for destructive change and she envisions them at certain key points throughout the film. She also equates the melting ice with the inevitable flooding of her community.
 One of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen on film depicted a festival by the community involving lots of fireworks and sparklers. It was so beautifully filmed it took my breath away. The cinematography and direction is absolutely outstanding and the film is a truly unique look into the lives of people who are for the most part ignored by the rest of the modern world,. These communities still exist in Louisiana and several of them really are under threat from erosion, so although the characters aren't based on particular individuals, they still represent real people living today.

I recommend this film to anyone looking for a unique, beautiful and absorbing look into the lives of a people who are normally forgotten and ignored, people who's way of life is not in tune or compatible with the fast-moving modern world.