Beasts of the Southern Wild
Probably the straightest of straight lines can be drawn from South of Midnight to Beasts of the Southern Wild. Despite Hushpuppy being much much younger than Hazel, this is one set of crochet hooks away from being the South of Midnight film you want. It’s a genuinely beautiful love letter to a world that still holds magic, even when Mother Nature regularly wipes the slate clean, and poverty strands its inhabitants in whatever hope, horror, or despair they had before. But more importantly, it’s a film told by people who’ve lived through it. They may be completely untrained as actors, but these are faces of people who’ve survived the worst. That sense of perseverance can’t be taught.
