Wendy

Nearly eight years after his Beasts of the Southern Wild bafflingly received widespread acclaim, writer/director Benh Zeitlin is back on his bullshit with Wendy, a twist on the Peter Pan legend that resurrects many of the problematic elements that sank his beloved debut.

Doubling down on his infatuation with dizzy, handheld camerawork, excessive close-ups, pretentious child narration and under-directed, amateur performances guaranteed to be interpreted by certain viewers as raw, unadulterated brilliance, the filmmaker continues to mistake following kids around and letting them act “naturally” for profound filmmaking.

Even with the built-in, er, hook of J.M. Barrie familiarity, Wendy is a tough slog as its titular heroine (Devin France) and two brothers follow Peter (Yashua Mack) via train and then boat to an island with an active volcano and a whale-like entity called Mother who keeps them and others young as long as they believe in her.

Consistent with Beasts, the film’s strength lies mainly in its intentionally squalid production design and, to a lesser degree, montages cut to an occasionally stirring musical score by Dan Romer. But while Zeitlin can clearly craft a good-looking film when he wants, his over-reliance on nonprofessional actors again proves distracting, especially with kids whose classically expressive faces can’t hide the fact that they simply can’t act.

Grade: D. Rated PG-13. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse

(Photo: Searchlight Pictures)