Close Reading 2 – Beasts of the Southern Wild
The usage of fossil fuels by human beings came from a place of misunderstanding, because we did not know how the use of fossil fuels would impact our future. In “Beasts of the Southern Wild”, Hushpuppy and her father, Wink, attempt to live in the uninhabitable region called The Bathtub. At the beginning of the film, Hushpuppy is voicing over scenes of herself running to get help for her father after she accidentally sent him into shock. While these scenes are played, clips of ice shelves falling apart are juxtaposed with the scenes of Hushpuppy desperately running. The juxtaposition of these scenes is a metaphor for the relationship between humans and nature. Hushpuppy does not understand why her father is acting the way he is, and she acts without knowing all the details of his situation and ends up hurting him. This is similar to the way humans are inhabiting earth and going about our business without knowing the consequences of our actions. In the beginning of our use of fossil fuels we did not expect that there would be such drastic repercussions, but we are now realizing how our usage is destroying the planet and the environment that we live in. This metaphor is especially impactful because of the voiceover from Hushpuppy, who says:
“The whole universe depends on everything fitting together just right. If one piece busts, even the smallest piece, the entire universe gets busted.” (Beasts of the Southern Wild, 20)
The use of imagery, story, and narrative combined makes an extremely poignant moment in the film that clearly shows the desperation humans face with our own misunderstands and how the whole universe can be “busted” if we do not fix our mistakes. The use of three mediums also shows how all encompassing the problem of our environment’s situation is.