If you haven’t discovered the unique magic of Beasts of the Southern Wild, now’s the time. The critically acclaimed indie — and winner of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize — has just hit DVD and Blu-ray.
The film tells the story of six-year-old Hushpuppy (remarkable newcomer Quvenzhané Wallis) who lives with her father, Wink (equally remarkable, if significantly older, newcomer Dwight Henry) in a Southern delta community called “The Bathtub.” It’s a terrific debut feature from director Benh Zeitlin, full of vibrant energy, impressive creativity and raw emotion. You can literally feel the passion and enthusiasm of everyone involved.
It’s no surprise the movie is emerging as a major player in Hollywood’s award season — already nabbing four Film Independent Spirit Award nominations (for Best Feature, Director, Female Lead and Cinematography) and earning recognition from the National Board of Review for Breakthrough Actress, Best Directorial Debut and one of the top 10 films of the year.
The Blu-ray offers a quality assortment of special features to enhance the experience for anyone who loved the movie in theaters, or is just catching up with it now. They include:
A 22-minute making of featurette that details the film’s unusual production process and includes a lot of invaluable footage of Wallis at work. She’s a natural on camera, and obviously just as fun and full of life off screen as well.
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