Beasts of the Southern Wild Trailer

As I was watching the magnificent trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild, I kept getting vibes that reminded me of other movies, an eclectic batch ranging from Forrest Gump to Lady in the Water to Where the Wild Things Are to The Tree of Life.  But even with so many films popping into my mind, I still find the trailer to indicate that this will be a truly singular film in the way so few movies are.  It's daring, strange, and magical, but also grounded.

How can such a balance be achieved?  A great place to start is with the perspective of a child.  Through a kid's eyes, the world is a scarier and more exciting place, full of new sensations to experience that, someday, will feel old and too familiar, but for now, elicit wide eyes, maybe a squeal of delight.  It looks like Quvenzhane Wallis is the rare child actor who can both celebrate her youthfulness and project an aura of beyond-her-years wisdom without being precocious.  Is it too early to call the young actress a dark horse for the Best Actress race?  Regardless, I'm going there.

Beasts of the Southern Wild comes out June 27.