How can one movie contain a tortured period romance, a creepy incel stalker, and a menacing AI overlord? Such is the unexpected journey of French director Bertrand Bonello’s film, which resists labels. The Beast (Now available on Criterion Channel.) It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, which makes it a difficult experience to describe, though it’s dazzling to watch as it unfolds. Every minute brings with it the suspense that what might follow will take you by surprise. It’s exhilarating and it strives to do so.
THE BEASTSTREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The essence: The year is 1910, in Paris. Gabrielle Monnier (Léa Seydoux), a Belle Epoque socialite, feels trapped in a loveless marriage. A charming gentleman, Louis (George MacKay), catches her eye and the possibilities of freedom and love present themselves in a potential romance. However, she is afraid of the consequences, leading to a paralysis that puts them both on the brink of danger…
It’s 2014, Los Angeles. These two would-be lovers reunite, but the fear resides mostly with Louis. As the mouthpiece for the words of misogynist mass shooter Elliot Rodger, this web-streaming incel fears receiving love more than giving it. When his path crosses with Gabrielle, now trying to make it as a model in the shadows of Hollywood, they reach another turning point. But where she brings vulnerability, he finds her with the potential for violence…
It’s the year 2044, back in Paris, with all the architecture of the City of Light but none of its soul. Yet the stars seem to have aligned for these star-crossed lovers, as Gabrielle and Paul finally get a chance to be together. To do so, they must undergo a DNA “purification” process to rid themselves of emotions and be more productive workers in a society run almost entirely by artificial intelligence. The procedure requires them to revisit their past lives, which causes them to rekindle feelings for Gabrielle at the moment she needs to shut them down.
What movies will it remind you of? The Beast It has the vibes of a doomed romance. Vanilla sky either Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but it is steeped in surrealism and Lynchian suspense.
Performance worth watching: George MacKay is doing an extraordinary job here, especially channeling the slippery persona of an incel who you know just needs a big hug, but this is Léa Seydoux’s show. From her green-screen acting masterclass in the prologue to her blood-curdling scream that ends the film, The Beast shows the full depth of his range and creativity as a performer.
Memorable dialogue: “Can you be scared of something that’s not here?” a director asks Gabrielle on set. He’s speaking more practically about her ability to react to an off-screen force that will be added digitally, but the question also resonates in philosophical dimensions. The Beast Explore. Is it possible to express fear of something we can only feel, not see, like love and intimacy?
Sex and skin: The Beast It’s about a frustrated, unfulfilled love, so the characters never have any sexual expression. It only appears in brief fragments on a screen in the 2014 timeline; the truly sick will recognize images of Harmony Korine. Garbage collectors making a prolonged appearance.
Our opinion: It is tempting to apply a hyper-contemporary gaze to The Beast and read it, first and foremost, as an eerily timely warning against the dangers of AI sanitizing the passion of life. But it’s deeper than just a tale of technocratic dystopia. Bertrand Bonello doesn’t want you to “solve” his film’s tantalizing ambiguities, because doing so would mean somehow arriving at an answer about the forces of fear and love that have tempted humans through the ages. But this immersive, expansive work provokes the kind of engagement necessary to unravel its intricate, genre-defying mysteries. As it tracks Gabrielle and Louis through time, The Beast It’s part drama, part romance, part thriller, part sci-fi, and completely unique.
Our calling: PASS IT ON. The Beast It may seem imposing, as it resists easy interpretation and simple categorization, but it is the kind of film whose inscrutability will draw you in rather than drive you away if you allow yourself to linger over its ambiguities and uncertainties. Bertrand Bonello’s film is as rich, complex and compelling as the forces of feeling it attempts to portray.
Marshall Shaffer is a freelance film journalist based in New York City. In addition to Jugo Mobile, his work has also appeared in Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist, and many other outlets. Someday soon, everyone will realize how right he is when it comes to talking about Spring breakers.
Look The Beast on the Criterion Channel
