THE BEAST
Starring: Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Guslagie Malanda, and Dasha Nekrasova
Director: Bertrand Bonello
QUENTIN
The Beast is the type of film that the snootiest of film critics will call a “must see” while regular people find themselves bored out of their minds. It’s big on ideas and, I suppose, it has decent performances, but it’s extremely lifeless, failing to truly engage the audience due to its somewhat confusing and labyrinthine story. It has elements of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Black Mirror, and classic French romance films, but they never coalesce into something worthy of the effort it takes to fully get on board. It’s not unlike a David Lynch movie in that regard.
PAIGE
If Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Cloud Atlas had a baby, it would be The Beast. This bizarre yet intriguing sci-fi-like epic warns of the fear of falling in love through the lens of these characters' entangled past lives. Despite a runtime that certainly overstays its welcome, Léa Seydoux and George MacKay deliver understated performances that deserve to be praised, and while some plot points don’t resolve in a satisfying way, the core ideal to live in the moment, not carry the weight of the past, and not to worry too much about the future is something that we all should take to heart.
This film was reviewed by Quentin and Paige as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Venice International Film Festival and the 2023 New York Film Festival, respectively.