The Beasts of the Southern Wild

When two minds collide, a debate is born. But what if it's one mind divided? That was where I found myself shortly after viewing The Beasts of the Southern Wild, a film I find difficult to critique. On one hand, it is a wonderfully envisioned tale of magic realism, a movie that relishes in its creativity, and relies heavily on its visual aesthetic. However, through an objective lens, the film's visual achievements are marred by, among other things, a thin story lacking narrative flow.

This is, of course, nothing new. Anything that we evaluate will lead us to draw pros and cons, to balance our decisions and arrive at a conclusion. And I'm not even really sure why this film has divided me? There have been many films (and books, and albums) that I can honestly say were, from an objective viewpoint, problematic. But I gave the middle finger to objectivity because subjectively, I absolutely love them: be they a poorly written book with amazing ideas and characters, or a band that lacks musical chops but generates a powerful and raw energy that pulses through your veins.

Perhaps there's the distinction and I've answered my own question. I love those works, but I can't say I love The Beasts of the Southern Wild. I really liked it, but it's harder to disregard the flaws when you only like something. For love, we'll overlook pretty much anything.

The Beasts of the Southern Wild
Score: 75%

Lincoln

This is one of those films that has Best Picture Oscar written all over it, and I don't mean that as a compliment. I just mean the Oscars are predictably boring. Feel free to come back here and point your finger and scream, "HA!" if Lincoln doesn't walk away with Best Film at the Banality Awards.

Don't get me wrong, Lincoln is a good film, a beautifully shot film, it's just not a film worthy of best of the year.

Daniel Day-Lewis embodies the role of Lincoln in a very believable performance that is (and should be) the anchor for this film that is less a biopic of Lincoln and more a film about the passing of the 13th Amendment. The film often veers from historical accuracy in favor of fictional storytelling, but this isn't a hindrance to the overall experience as it mostly creates necessary dramatic tensions; however, there are moments where the fictionalization detracts, mostly in scenes played for comic relief that do more to undermine the serious tone of the film than it does to complement it.   
 


Lincoln
Score: 68%

  

Leolo

Director Lauzon's Leolo is a darkly comic, surreal coming of age story, blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Leolo creates an imaginary world to escape his real life: the insanity of his family (literally) and his own battle to keep the crazy at bay. The film does an excellent job blending the the two worlds until the viewer is no longer sure what is real anymore. There is tremendous beauty in Lauzon's film; it is poetic and disturbing, surreal and painfully real, walking a line between conflicting worlds--visually and symbolically--much like Leolo does as he struggles to maintain his fantasy world as his real life tries to drag him down. The film is expertly directed, gorgeously shot, and has the added bonus of an amazing score by Tom Waits.

Leolo
Score: 85%