Let me start off by saying that the summary of the film on the back of the DVD case is very misleading. It describes Hushpuppy as something of a force of nature and some grand quest to cure and/or protect her father. Nothing like that happens at all in this film.
Essentially the core of the film revolves around a group of very poor Louisianians who live south of the levee. They are extremely poor, but eke out their own humble existence. They are fiercely independent.
This fierce independence is exemplified when a big storm floods their entire town/island known as The Bathtub. When the salt water rushes in and won't recede, due in part to the levee system, citizens of The Bathtub take it into their own hands to blow a hole in the levee to provide some relief. This gains them some attention from regular society who invade their homes to round them up and put them in shelters "for their own good". Eventually this ragtag group of Bathtubbers break free and return to their traditional ways. They won't move and won't change no matter what nature or society throws at them.
Oh yeah and there is this very personal story about a little girl (Hushpuppy) and her father (who is dying) and how she has to be strong and learn to begin to take care of herself. I actually found that whole part of the story to be rather oddly told and less interesting. There are images of supernatural aurochs coming to invade and glaciers melting and it is all very abstract and nebulous to the point that I never understood the metaphor. Not enough to warrant spending a dime on the special effects to accomplish it. This film would have worked just as well without it as the sociological elements are the strongest part of the film.
Worth it for: Learning the culture of The Bathtub and the socio-economic ideas related to it.
Could do without: Largely incomprehensible central metaphor and related special effects.
