In 2012, Benh Zeitlin’s BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD was my favorite film of that year and I’ve returned to watch Hushpuppy navigate the bathtub countless times.

Sadly, Benh Zeitlin’s follow-up WENDY tries to create the same magic, yet fails to transcend to the great heights of BEASTS.

A quote from WENDY: “All children grow up, for most it just happens like a change in the weather. But for some. The wild ones. The ones with the light in their eyes. Escape.”

Here’s hoping that Benh Zeitlin “escapes” this misstep and makes something that once again captures that deeply-personal feeling of what it is like to be a child. Here’s hoping that he has another story in him that makes Hushpuppy proud.

WENDY is available to rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV

Aaron "Dobler" Goldstein

Aaron Goldstein is a Product Manager by day, ludicrous speed content consumer by night. He’s a LA Film School Alumni and TV Academy / Producers Guild of America member. Aaron is a proud parent and dad joke enthusiast.

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