Beasts of the Southern Wild
It doesn't seem five minutes since we were counting down the best movies of 2012 and heaping praise on the likes of Warrior and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy - and now we are about to do it all again.
There have been some fantastic movie that have graced the big screen over the last twelve months from big budget blockbusters to heart warming dramas and we begin our countdown to find our best film of 2012.
We kick off the countdown today at number ten and it is the fantastic Beasts of the Southern Wild that is in the spotlight.
In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood.
Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality.
It is hard to believe that Beasts of the Southern Wild marked the feature length directorial debut of Benh Zeitlin as this is such a breathtakingly beautiful and yet powerful movie.
This is unlike any other movie that was released this year and it is the best coming of age film of 2012.
What really drives this movie forward is the stunning central performance from Quvenzhane Wallis who makes her big screen debut.
She is a captivating leading lady and we see a world of poverty and inequality very much through her eyes.
But at the heart of this film is a father/daughter relationship that is so incredibly heartbreaking.
Wink knows that his young daughter has a tough life ahead of her and he is preparing her to be strong for what will come her way - even though at times his methods do seem a little harsh and extreme.
But he is a man who, underneath it all, wishes he could do better for her but ultimately cannot.
There is a real magic to this movie and is one of the indie movies that shone the brightest on the festival circuit this year.
This is a moving, heartwarming and funny movie all rolled into one as Zeitlin announces himself as an incredibly exciting filmmaker who is not afraid to push the boundaries and break conventions.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the most unique movies to hit the big screen this year and the story and the images that Zeitlin has delivered will stay with you for a long time.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw