During the opening of ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’, we are aligned and positioned with Hushpuppy. For example, through subjective positioning we hear things from her perspective like the bird’s heartbeat when she holds it to her ear. This performance of her listening to the bird’s heartbeat shows that she is caring, meaning the audience is now aligned with her. The low-level camera work throughout the film reinforces our positioning with Hushpuppy as we are physically at her level which links to how we see the world from her perspective. Such as, when Hushpuppy is in the ‘floating catfish shack’, the audience would assume this to be a brothel but from Hushpuppy’s perspective and due to being positioned with Hushpuppy, the place looks magical and lovely such as with the mise en scene of the colourful fairy lights.

Throughout the film we are usually positioned and aligned with the people of the bathtub, especially Hushpuppy and Wink. We are aligned and normally positioned with the bathtub instead of the Levee, which is represented negatively through the characters we are aligned/positioned with; this links to the Bathtub and the Levee being a binary opposition. For example, when Wink and Hushpuppy are on the boat, the mise en scene of the Levee is desaturated, grey, dim and at a distance which contrasts greatly to the bathtub which is colourful and has people like Hushpuppy that we are aligned with. This creates the idea that we are not positioned with the Levee or the people that live there, as it’s literally at a distance and walled off. We are also not aligned with the Levee or the people that live there. This is reinforced when Wink discusses how the Levee do not act in an environmentally friendly way, contrasting to the bathtub which has a low carbon footprint. This links to the ideology of environmentalism, which the bathtub all believes in and live by which is a reason why we are aligned with them as an audience. An example of Wink discussing the non-environmentally friendly side of the Levee is when he calls their buildings and polluting factories ‘ugly’. The perspective then changes as Hushpuppy comes into focus, her voice over then supports the idea of environmentalism too and criticises the Levee for having fish in ‘plastic’. An active audience member might consider whether the things that Hushpuppy is thinking are her own true opinions or if she’s just copying and learning from her father Wink. However, throughout the film the representation of children us that they are strong, and don’t have to be treated completely differently to adults. Meaning, her voice over on environmentalism is probably what she truly believes. An example of child being represented as strong is through the mise en scene and performance of Hushpuppy during the ending when she turns around and faces the aurochs which an active viewer might interpret as a symbol for her childhood and/or fears. Her standing up against them with a brave face and making them kneel down, shows how she is strong as a child and can handle her fears. The music stopping when she faces them, and then the music box sound playing briefly empathises the impact of this moment and how she is a capable and strong child. However, the symbol of the aurochs gathers a range of readings and responses (Hall). For example, one audience member may see them as a symbol for her childhood and fears, but another may view them as a symbol of the environmental problems as they came from the ice, again adding to the ideology of environmentalism which is explored throughout the film. That means that this scene could be suggesting that despite being a child, Hushpuppy is able to cope and stand up to the very real effect that environmental problems have on the Bathtub like the floods.

Just before the hospital sequence, we are again positioned and aligned with the people that live in the Bathtub as the outsiders who come and take them are presented negatively. For example, the over the shoulder shot of the woman forcefully being taken by them adds to the idea that these people are invading them. This invading feel started with the mise en scene and the sound, as the helicopter sound gave the invading feel to the scene and the mise en scene of their clean and formal shirts makes them seem like outsides. There is even a brief time when we are not positioned with Hushpuppy and cannot see her at all despite being positioned with her dad which builds the tension in the spectator as we are worried for her. When we see the hospital, it appears soulless and has no windows, contrasting to the bathtub which was colourful and open to nature, which is again adding to the binary opposition of the Levee and the Bathtub as well as making the hospital seem like a negative place. Once in the hospital we are again positioned with Hushpuppy. Such as, when her father is being told about his medical problems, we see her dad fighting with a point of view shot from her perspective. This reinforces our alignment with Hushpuppy as spectators as we feel sympathy for her. During this scene, her father is arguing that he doesn’t want the hospitals medical help, this adds to the theme of self-reliance which is reinforced throughout the film. Such as, the performance of the mother like figure during the flashback sequence, as she tells Hushpuppy how she has to look after herself. This sequence of the mother figure can be interpreted in different ways (Hall). For example, one way is that Hushpuppy was looking for a mother figure, which is why the catfish shack appears so warm with the fairy lights because she was looking for and sort of found a mother figure which is nice. However, another interpretation is that the woman was just a figment of Hushpuppy’s imagination. This is because, when she walks into the kitchen the cinematography of the bright light that they walk into suggest a dream like sequence is coming. Then, the performance and mise en scene all link this woman back to her mother, suggesting that Hushpuppy is imaging that she is with her mother. For example, the performance of her drinking beer like earlier, and the way she blows on the egg to crack it seems like the fantasy element earlier of her walking past the oven and turning it on. Plus, she is cooking what appears like crocodile/alligator, which is what she killed in the flashback. As well as this, the cinematography supports this interpretation with the camera. Such as, there is a shot of the mum that is repeated from earlier in the film, as well as a shot of the room, with bits from the pan  floating up which could be interpreted to show that the woman wasn’t actually there, as instead of standing by the pan, she cannot be seen. Plus, after Hushpuppy hugs the woman, she is in a similar position to when she first saw her, maybe suggesting she never moved and just imagined it. This response is an example of active viewing, but is not the only example of active viewing such as the interpretation that she was looking for a mother figure which is why the brothel appears so lovely, because we are seeing it from a child’s perspective and a child who is looking for something lovely which is reflected in what she sees like the fairy lights and the hugs.