The Beast

La Bête

France, Canada, 2023, 146 minutes

Director: Bertrand Bonello

Writers: Bertrand Bonello, Henry James, Guillaume Bréaud

Cinematographer: Josée Deshaies

Cast: Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Guslagie Malanda, Dasha Nekrasova

Léa Seydoux stars in this visually audacious, mind-bending romantic epic as a woman who falls in love with the same man in the past, present, and future.

Freely adapted from The Beast in the Jungle, Henry James’ classic novella of destiny, ardour, and foreboding.

A heady, centuries-spanning sci-fi examination of love, obsession, yearning and existential dread.

 In a near future dominated by artificial intelligence, human emotions have been deemed a threat. In order to purge hers and purify her DNA, Gabrielle must navigate her past lives to try to isolate the lingering pangs, not only of passion, but also of clutching fear. In both 1904 France and 2014 Los Angeles, she encounters Louis anew — a dashing English aristocrat in the former time, a bitter incel in the latter. Despite each dramatically reconfigured dynamic, an inexplicable yearning remains. Lurking alongside, however, is a palpable sense of premonition: the metaphorical beast.

Will the process allow Gabrielle to fully connect with Louis in the present, or are the two doomed to repeat their previous fates?

Visually audacious director Bertrand Bonello  fashions his most accomplished film to date: a sci-fi epic, inspired by Henry James' turn-of-the-century novella, suffused with mounting dread and a haunting sense of mystery.

The film poignantly conveys humanity's struggle against dissociative identity and emotionless existence.

A thrilling mix of sweeping melodrama and suspenseful, horror-tinged dystopia, The Beast harbours a deep uncanny that taps into our multiplying contemporary anxieties.

Exquisitely shot and brazenly nonlinear in construction, film moves sinuously between each richly realized set piece.

This is a bold and visionary film, an innovative modern sci-fi that feels both fresh and original. It delves into generational trauma and female oppression, whilst exploring an array of modern issues such as alienation and toxic masculinity. A must-see.

Original Languages: French, English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns_bcwSAAp4