(some spoilers ahead, btw)

>as for the rest...I don't know. it was funny, warmly acted
>and at times poignant, but went in directions I'm not sure how
>I feel about. the inferences of utopian poverty, announced
>themes that never went anywhere, and the shifting political
>analogies all seemed unfocused.

If you read it solely on a literal level, as a father/daughter relationship and the story of a community's pride and resilience and quintessentially American desire to work together to survive in the land of their choosing, then it works. If you can successfully isolate it from all of the other stuff... it's money. Those are the scenes that worked best for me (the ones you probably mentioned at the end.)

But then there's the beast stuff. And there's the baggage an audience member brings in remembering Katrina. And there's the metaphor for the community as America. And the outsiders trying to help as America. And the father as America. Etc. etc. He's kind of throwing a lot of things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I thought a lot of it did, and there's certainly plenty of stuff to stir up discussion amidst the heartwarming father-daughter story that will swell the Academy's hearts... but you can't really say the guy's an expert playing with metaphor here.

I would say although the utopian poverty stuff is pretty overt, they definitely show by the end that the way of life in that area is not sustainable, surrounded by dead plants and animals. There's an implication that the dad could've lived had he stayed and let them take care of him. Again, that complicates things in terms of theme (should we admire him for spitting out the pills or should we scold him? is dying for a chance to be in his own community noble or foolish?), but I was glad for those complications. Made me feel less unnerved by the "happy poor people" vibe that the movie does put off most of the time that the movie seems to be acknowledging the usefulness of the outside help even if the characters don't.

(I will add there was a Q&A with a producer at my screening, and not just all of the actors, but writer, director, and many of the producers were ALL first timers for a feature film... which, needless to say, is pretty awesome, but also explains the unfocused nature of the flick.)


>I'll remember the handful of scenes that were among the best
>I've seen in 2012. can't say I loved it as a whole, however.

Dwight Henry as the dad is my performance of the year to date. And he's not even an actor! He's a fucking baker who won't do press stuff because he's got a bakery to run! The girl is also truly amazing, the dialogue is strong, the cinematography strong, and the score as you mentioned is really soaring. I recommend it to everyone, and I did really like it, even if, as you said, there are a bevy of thematic and metaphorical questions raised by the "throw it all in" mentality of the writer and director.