A review of the 2017 film “Beast”

If you were thinking of having a holiday on the English Channel island of Jersey, you might want to avoid this psychological thriller which is set on the island. In his first feature film, writer and director Michael Pearce – who grew up on the island – offers the viewer some glorious local scenery but parades a set of characters who, in their different ways, are comprehensively unpleasant. 

The lead character is Moll, a deeply damaged 27-year-old who lives with her family in the genteel part of the island. Jessica Buckley is quite mesmerising in this complex role. She befriends Pascal, a working-class local with good looks and a history that are both roguish. Johnny Flynn fits the role well.

The trouble is that there is a serial killer on the loose and, perhaps not unreasonably, Pascal is a suspect. So Moll is playing with fire, but she is not exactly an innocent herself. We fear that this is not going to end well and we are right – but the ending is unlikely to be the one you expect in this dark and gripping tale.


 




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