Beast

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I named Beast as one of my favourite films of 2017 therefore it's great to see this first feature by Michael Pearce on cinema release. Beast is a beauty of a film, that lures you softly and slowly into its darkness. Enigmatic, and laced with cunning, its a cool thriller.

 The film opens with the scenic beauty of a rugged stretch of Jersey coast. The wind sweeps through the tall grass carrying with it a choir of heavenly voices that lead us to Moll. Its all quite beautiful and yet not quite right. The singing stops and the stoney faced choir leader singles Moll out for criticism. This steely, domineering woman is Molls Mother, powerfully played by Geraldine James. 

 Moll (Jessie Buckley) with her mess of red hair is pale and nervous, she hangs back, hovering awkwardly on the sidelines of her own birthday party. I felt uneasy as a somewhat creepy older man pins a police badge to her summer dress. Who is he? surely not her brother? Next Molls sister makes a toast to her and immediately snatches the gesture away by announcing she is pregnant and expecting twins.

 Beast is an excruciating portrait of a rigidly conservative middle class family in which Moll is very clearly the misfit. Your heart will break for her long before she crushes pieces of broken glass into the palm of her hand and takes off into the night. 

 Later, when she meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn) he opens her clenched fist and says " You're wounded. I can fix that." His own hands are also bloodied, he is a poacher. Moll finds in him a friend, a lover, a kindred spirit. They both compliment and reflect each other.

Buckley delivers an accomplished performance, she layers the character of Moll with nuance and shade, allowing us glimpses of the darkness that haunts her. Moll is desperate to comply, to please, to fit in, and equally desperate to run away, to be herself, what ever that is. She is both vulnerable and fearless at the same time. 

Flynn with his astonishingly blue eyes and quiet voice is brooding and enigmatic as Pascal. He is unperturbed by Molls snobby, hostile Mother or what other people think of him. Meanwhile on this idyllic island another girl has been found murdered. 

Beast has legs, by which I mean its a great film. Well written, directed and produced. There is a timeless, ethereal quality about it that make it infinitely watchable. There is much to ponder here besides 'who dunnit', not to mention the impressive quality of the performances of Buckley and Flynn who draw us in and will draw us back again and again. I can easily see this becoming a cult classic, see you in 20 years for the retrospective!

 © Theresa Collins






















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