BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is a US magical-realist drama about a young girl in a poverty-stricken Delta community who has to struggle with a sick father and an environmental threat that may unleash prehistoric beasts into her world.

Threat

The young girl and her father face moments of natural threat as a terrible storm hits their home and displaces the community. There is also a scene in which the characters try to blow up a wall to release water into their drought-hit area by strapping dynamite to a dead alligator. When the young heroine pulls the cord that is attached to the explosives, the power of the blast sends her flying back and causes debris to fall.

Injury detail

There is sight of a disemboweled wolf, at which the young girl stares. There are a few shots showing the animal's entrails and organs but the scene is very brief and doesn't dwell on detail. A close-up of a stitched-up flesh injury on the young girl's father is also briefly shown.

Imitable Behaviour

Early in the film, the girl is seen running with two lit fireworks during a scene of celebration. Although she is not supervised, the fireworks in question are designed to be held and are not likely to explode. Later, the girl puts on a protective mask and uses a blow torch to heat up some food on a stove. When the stove catches fire, she hides in a cardboard box out of fear and guilt. These scenes of potentially dangerous behaviour lack any instructional detail that is likely to be copied. The young girl is clearly shown to be atypical and a product of the extreme environment in which she lives.

The film also contains some mild bad language (e.g. 'ass', 'piss', 'bullshit').