While Beasts of the Southern Wild doesn’t open in San Diego for a week, it is open in some other cities, so I thought I’d post my review here now; it will run in LGBT Weekly next Thursday.

At the moment, very few cinemas are showing movies that aren’t loud, computer-generated products for the teen masses. The summer tends to be dominated by movies like The Avengers and Brave and Ted. The small art houses do their best to counter program with nerdy crowd-pleasing indies; this is why Wes Anderson’s wonderful Moonrise Kingdom is doing so well – though it is doing well not just because it’s skillful and smart but also because it has Anderson’s brand attached. Entering into the art house mix is a much weirder, much more daring film from an unknown filmmakers, and it deserves all of the indie filmgoer’s attention and praise, if not more, that Anderson has been enjoying this summers. Beasts of the Southern Wild is unlike anything I have ever seen, a wild and sweet and gritty fantasia about childhood, loss, poverty, individualism and, metaphorically, Hurricane Katrina. It deservedly won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year and the Caméra d’Or award at Cannes. Continue…