Beast

“Moll is a troubled woman, still living at home, stifled by the small island community around her. When she meets Pascal, a free-spirited stranger, a whole new world opens up to her and she begins to feel alive for the first time, falling madly in love. Finally breaking free from her family, Moll moves in with Pascal to start a new life. But when Pascal is arrested as the key suspect in a series of brutal murders, Moll is left isolated and afraid and finds herself forced to make choices that will impact her life forever.”

The film opens at Moll’s (Jessie Buckley) birthday party. Her family has thrown quite the lavish gathering of tons of people, but it seems as though the party is more for them than her, with everyone mingling with everyone but Moll, and her sister (Shannon Tarbet) using the opportunity to announce that she’s having twins. Only then does her mother (Geraldine James) tell Moll to go and get the champagne, because now there is a reason to celebrate. Moll storms out of the party and meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn). The two are instantly attracted to one another and as Moll starts seeing more of him, she finally becomes more independent, breaking free from her horrible and selfish family that only look down on both of them.

Living with Pascal and having her freedom gives Moll unexplainable joy. Shortly after they move in together, however, Pascal is charged with the murders of several young girls. Moll instinctively lies to the police about being with Pascal the night of the most recent murder, believing him to be innocent. Although he hasn’t been charged, the tight knit community has already made up their mind about his guilt and takes out their frustrations on Moll which immediately begins to take a toll on her given her background of being bullied as a child. Moll has to make some tough decisions and take a long hard look at the evidence and what she believes, as it will change her life.

I didn’t know what to expect of Beast, but what you get is a mixed bag of emotions that will both shock and haunt you long after you finish the film. Let me first say that Jessie Buckley is such an amazing actress that is able to captivate the character she is playing so perfectly you are right there with her through the thick and thin of things. Her family treats her so horribly and as an audience we go through that pain with her, wanting her to break free but not knowing how her character will do in the real world away from her sheltered life. The film does an excellent job at presenting this conflict inside the character and making it relatable to the audience, and it gives all of their characters so much depth in so little time that you can’t help but feel intertwined in this small island community.

The bit of mystery that the film provides is also highly entertaining. Did Pascal commit these murders? It almost seems like it doesn’t matter to Moll, having lied for him as an alibi because she believes in him so blindly. For me, the ending was entirely shocking and was unlike anything I predicted. I’ll admit that I just sat there stunned for quite a while trying to process what I just witnessed, and there are only a handful of films that have done that to me that I can name. That’s what is truly great about this film; how it shocks you to your very core over and over again.

The pacing of the film does feel a bit slow in parts, but honestly this film follows only Moll and her interactions and relationships with other characters. Although I may have felt distracted at times from the pacing, the depth you get with the characters is a worthy tradeoff in my mind.

Video

Beast is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. This transfer looks good with no defects noticed throughout the film. One thing I did notice, however, was the high contrast during some of the darker scenes, of which there are quite a few. This makes the video look very washed out with a white hue to everything and was quite distracting. While normal movie-goers may not notice this as much, it takes away from the natural dark tones of the film that should be present and make the film look unnatural.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio track sounds great, with a nice balance between the surrounds and center channel, providing very clear dialogue even when the surrounds are being utilized. Mostly used for atmospheric effects, waves crashing and the score, the surrounds give the film a nice organic feel that make you feel like you’re immersed in the drama unfolding.

Special Features

A few extras included on the disc will give fans of the film to learn more about it. These include:

• The Making of Beast
• “A Look At Beast” Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer

Beast is a very haunting film, a tale of love, of mystery, and everything in between. It’s definitely a film you soon won’t forget after the credits roll. Do yourselves a favor and check it out if you get the chance.