Providing an interesting twist that comes early on the film, Beast turns into an intriguing and imaginative movie for the adult crowd. Nicely acted, directed and cinematically brilliant the production offers a good measure of entertainment value. If you like your movies with some suspense, a little romance and many moments of impactful interaction between the main characters, their family and townsfolk, then this is your cup of tea.
Still living at home, Moll Huntford (Jessie Buckley) endures her 27th birthday party until her brother and sister-in-law take center stage with an announcement that they are going to have twins. Forlorn and tired of being under her mother’s (Geraldine James) thumb, she leaves the party and walks to a local pub that has dancing and drinking to past the rest of the night away. She gets smashed and finds herself with a local guy on the beach where when he tries to get frisky with her, she gets saved by Pascal Renouf (Johnny Flynn) a local recluse about her age.
A romance starts to bud and quickly turns into love between Moll and Pascal. Distracting the two is the announcement that a 15-year-old girl is missing. It’s a similar kidnaping to three other teens that have gone missing over the last four years. When local detective Clifford gets suspicious that Pascal may be involved, the town turns against the two lovers.
Writer and director Michael Pearce does a good job of creating suspense with his story about both the downhearted Moll and the town dealing with the heinous crime. He pulls off a few twists and challenges for his audience involving his main characters Pascal and Moll using the formula created by Shakespeare with Romeo and Juliet. It’s a smart move right up the very thrilling ending.
Acting by both Jessie Buckley as the local “old” maid who has a sordid past and Johnny Flynn as a local guy with a Viking history, prevail and make the film work. You can see Moll has almost given up with her life, but then she rebels looking for anyone who can give her a good time. Pascal has a similar situation living alone and recluse finding odd jobs to keep himself going. Both start to change and break away from the mundane, but head for a fire that just may burn their longevity candle at both ends.
The cinematography of the island Jersey in the Channel Islands off the coast of France is magnificent. The location becomes another character for the film as the two lovers become one while overlooking a cliff with a splendid view. As they grow to endure their new found life, beach scenes and hillsides add to the adventure.
Beast has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains violence, a scene of sexuality, language and brutality. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for youngsters.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A nice drama with an entertaining storyline. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Trystan Gravelle, Geraldine James, Charley Palmer, Stephen Campbell Moore, Ben Miles and Jessica Raine Rothwell
Directed and written by: Michael Pearce
Genre: Drama, Mystery
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains violence, brutality, language, sex
Running Time: 1hr. 47min.
Release Date: June 1, 2018
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions
Released in: Standard Format
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
