Film Pick UK

In May last year I reviewed 'Beast', a film in the First Feature Competition of The London Film Festival 2017, written and directed by Michael Pearce and produced by Lauren Dark. I sang its praises loud and long. I was thrilled to see them go on to win at this years BAFTA award ceremony in the category of Outstanding Debut by a Writer/Director/Producer. Michael Pearce decided at sixteen that he wanted to make films and has spent 20 years honing his skills to reach this stage in his career. Consider the monumental task of filmmaking. You have an idea, you write it down, you write a script, you write and you re write, again and again and again. You plan the entire film out shot by shot, making storyboards. You find a location, you then need to obtain permission to film there. You need equipment, lights, cameras, costumes, make up. You need a crew, you need those fabulous mercurial beings known as actors.  You will have none of these without funding, so get ready to sell yo...

  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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 toas...