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Benh Zeitlin’s tiny budgeted Beasts of the Southern Wild, about the adventures of Hushpuppy in the Bathtub, came out of nowhere last year to get nominated for best picture, actress, director, and adapted screenplay, delighting the Academy and Oprah alike, despite it being mostly a longer, more self-important MGMT video or Levi’s ad (but hey, one man’s opinion). But if he left any Oscars on the table last time, Ben Zeitlin sounds like he’s refining his own potion, to give it just the right amounts of magic and realism.
He recently described his next project to the New York Times, in their lengthy profile of 20 Directors to Watch:
“The new film is about a young girl who gets kidnapped onto a hidden ecosystem where a tribal war is raging over a form of pollen that breaks the relationship between aging and time. It follows a friendship-love story-adventure of her and a joyous, reckless, pleasure-mongering young boy as they swirl in and out of youth and as the ecosystem around them spirals toward destruction. We’re working on it all day every day, but as all psychotic adventures go, you know where your destination is but not how long it’s going to take to get there.”
Yeah, but what will the adorable little girl’s name be this time?!? Hash Brown? Dumplin? Pea Shoot? Red Bean? Praline? Cheese Grits? Ratatouille? Okra?
I know, I’m probably giving him too hard a time. Coming off a critical triumph like Beasts, it’s admirable that he’s sticking with what he does and not just taking a paycheck to make Pirates of the Caribbean 12 or Johnny Depp Finds a Turban or something. I’ll give his next one a chance, I just worry that I’ll have to watch it with my nose inside my own asshole.
(pic via Getty)
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So it’s a pretentious version of The Little People episode of The Twilight Zone (or The Genesis Tub from Treehouse of Horror VII).
I think we can all agree though that not nearly enough people get kidnapped onto ecosystems.
This sounds like a cross between Avatar and The Happening, which is perfect since this douchecanoe thinks he’s James Cameron, but he’ll probably end up like M. Night Shamyalan
The biggest problem I had with BOTSW is that I am from Louisiana…
Isn’t that the biggest problem you have in general?
/Who dat? Erswi from the ring in the Bathtub.
//It’s double-zing Friday.
Beasts of the Southern Wild was like if white guilt and poverty porn had a baby, and that baby was actually pretty good at cinematography.
God dammit, Boots, way to condense my 1200-word review into one sentence.
To ber fair, I’m the descendent of slave-owning tobacco farmers. I’m like a white guilt expert.
COTMFY
The only way that description could sound more awardsy-film-making is if it included the words “during the holocaust”
Then the main character would be named Latke in the Shower.
Why yes, I *do* hate myself. Thanks for asking!
You want an Oscar? Orphans during the holocaust ya fucking noob!
Holocaust orphan queens of England, rookie.
Holocaust orphan queens of England with downs syndrome. Give me all the Oscars.
*reads chosan’s post*
…fuck Mike…
I used to think that the pollen that unhinges aging from time was angel dust. But then I ate my kid’s eyes and tried to cut my legs off and corrected my prior notion.
“Magical realism is the new hot garbage.” -Frotcast Bret.
Yeah man, the adventures of Okra and Dumplin is already Jamaica’s greatest cinematic endeavor since Cool Runnings or Shottaz
Boop Boop hear me now selectah Okra and Dumplin inna pot, well and know sey da movie haffi box office a guh shot
I love all your name suggestions, Vince, but if it’s going to be on trend then I vote for Quinoa.
The boy? Yolo.
The Adventures of Quinoa and Yolo. TM
I’ll bite I guess. Sounds interesting to say the least. Then again, I really liked Beasts myself.
I’m at least intrigued by the word “pleasure-mongering”.
I remember when I first went to see the film with visiting relatives.
Knowing nothing about the movie before hand, I saw the poster and all of the critical praise plastered on it. I thought “Okay at the very least it will be decent.”
I could see BOTSW working as a 20 minute short film, but as a 93 minute feature I had to fight so hard not to fall asleep.
Based on everything I’ve seen about BOTSW, he looks exactly how I pictured him.
Like a child molestory James Macavoy? Well a more child molestory version?
It sounds like a cross between Avatar and Brittany Spear’s Crossroads. Seriously go watch that trailer.
Okra P. Shootz to be precise.
In my youth I was very much the pleasure-mongerer.