Beast (2017)
Rating: 2/5 - fair passes the time
Director: Michael Pearce
Summary
Young Moll (Jessie Buckley) lives with her cold and controlling family who monitor her movements and relationships after an incident years before when she stabbed a class mate.
After an impulsive, drunken night out she meets Pascale (Johnny Flynn) a stranger who also has a violent past and who saves her from a would-be rapist. They quickly fall for each other, despite her family’s opposition.
Suspicion falls on Pascale after a number of teenage girls are found strangled. Jess has to deal with the anger of the local community and her love for Pascale and decide what and who to believe.
Review by Jason Day
Sometimes, it's interesting to see how a film that promises so much can turn out so very disappointing.
Beast, a modern twist on Beauty and the Beast, is one of those films, but that's not to say the whole thing is bad.
With War and Peace's Buckley in the starring role and hitting most of her marks with skill, a surly leading man in Flynn and sex scenes and gore that Disney would never have let his Belle encounter, we have a nearly-romantic fantasy that turns on the sweaty, smelly charm.
Trouble for the rest of the film is that writer-director Pearce struggles to keep up with such good moments.
Scenes that should have cracking depth become laugh out loud hilarious and the supposedly devastating ending is a joke.
Find out more about why to miss this missed opportunity in the full review: http://bit.ly/beastfilm
Cast & credits
Director: Michael Pearce. 1hr 47mins (107mins). Agile Films/BFI Film Fund/BFI/Film4/Stray Bear Productions.
Producers: Kristian Brodie, Lauren Dark, Ivana MacKinnon.
Writer: Michael Pearce.
Camera: Benjamin Kracun.
Music: Jim Williams.
Sets: Laura Ellis Cricks.
Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Geraldine James, Trystan Gravelle, Emily Taafe, Charley Palmer Rothwell, Hattie Gotobed, Shannon Tarbet
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