"Beasts" NYT review

"They (young heroes) also remind us of the metaphysical arrogance of childhood. Because the self and the world are perceived, by an awakening mind, as opposites... it seems to follow that they must be equal. I, too, am a cosmos" says A.O. Scott in his review of the film. As a girl living in a man's world and in nature, Hushpuppy is forced to learn survival techniques so that she can be self-reliant. This movie really emphasizes this theme of living on one's own, being self-reliant and yet caring towards nature. Hushpuppy herself criticizes the "other people" who live on the other side of the levee, shopping in their grocery stores. As her father and the rest of the Bathtub society are teaching her, she is only a part of a bigger world. This proves her being "arrogant", but I would argue that "naïve" is a more fitting word to start out with. She starts as a naïve youth, trying to understand nature by listening to animals' heartbeats, observing the codes they speak in. Her father does not give her the attention that traditional parents do. It is only once Hushpuppy is forced to live on her own, completely without her father, that she develops an arrogance towards her position in the world. Then the arrogance fades to understanding as she learns to "beast it", now that her father has fully demonstrated his role and his love towards Hushpuppy. It is only then that she finds her place in the Bathtub, now knowing that she does not need a mother or any other bolster to take care of herself as a piece of the worldwide community.