The Beast (2023) – Review and Summary
In a tragic, long-in-the-tooth, multi-generational love story, two people have a constant case of bad timing, which ruins the love that could be.
[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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General Information
| Director(s) | Bertrand Bonello |
| Screenplay By | Bertrand Bonello, Guillaume Bréaud, Benjamin Charbit |
| Based On The Short Story “The Beast in the Jungle” | Henry James |
| Date Released (Film Festival – New York Film Festival) | October 8, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Drama
Non-English (French) |
| Film Length | 2 Hours 26 Minutes |
| Content Rating | Not Rated |
| Noted Characters and Cast | |
| Gabrielle | Léa Seydoux |
| Louis | George MacKay |
Content Rating Explanation
“The Beast” contains:
- Dialog: Cursing
- Violence: Gun violence and blood
- Sexual Content: non-sexual nudity
- Miscellaneous: drinking and smoking
Film Summary
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.
In 1910 Paris, 2014 Los Angeles, and 2044 Paris, we watch Gabrielle and Louis struggle to find each other at the right time and finally have their destined romance. For if it isn’t marriage, it is the mental illness of the other. If not, a world that refuses to foster the type of culture where they can finally be what they struggled for over 130 years.
Character Descriptions
Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.
Gabrielle
There has been some sense of dread throughout all of Gabrielle’s lifetimes. A longing for more, despite the privilege she had, and it always seems there is a constant loneliness, no matter how she tries.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” their role in “La belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast),” and their role in “Crimes of the Future.”
Louis
In all of Louis’ lives, he is a loner who handles the feelings of isolation differently. In 1910, it made him distinguished. In 2014 an incel, and in 2044, comfortably numb and nearly robotic.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Where Hands Touch,” their role in “Sunshine on Leith,” and their role in “Captain Fantastic.”
Review
Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)
Notable Performances or Moments
The 2014 Segment
While it is the most disturbing and funny to a New York City audience, the cream of the crop is the 2014 segment when Louis is an incel and Gabrielle a model unsure of what to do in her life, as she house sits a million-dollar home. In this segment, focused on towards the end, the film wins you back and ends on a strong note as you question what may happen as moments replay over and over again, and it seems the screen even glitches.
Will Louis, frustrated by being a thirty-year-old virgin, truly kill Gabrielle? Can Gabrielle, his first potential victim, convince him she isn’t like the others or what he thinks? Maybe save her life or even find love? It’s a bizarre segment that truly feels like a reprieve from the 2044 segment.
Highlights
The 1910 Segment
The period piece, where Gabrielle is a pianist in a marriage that is comfortable but lacking passion, like the 2014 segment, could have been its own movie. With a subtle affair, a foreboding ending, and unquestionable chemistry, you easily get wrapped up in what was the beginning of this two-and-a-half-hour tale. Heck, you may even feel bad for her husband, who clearly loves her but isn’t able to ease her longing.
Low Points
On The Fence
It Eventually All Comes Together, You’ll Just Wish It Took Less Time
But then comes the 2044 segment. It’s slow, dry, features a cat being killed, and while you get everything leads up to what happens in 2044, it’s always a relief to escape that segment and something akin to a punishment when you realize you are back. For with the world in 2044 drained of feelings, AI taking over, and no one for Seydoux to often play off of, at least on camera, it’s a struggle. The kind that makes you feel like this movie feels so long because of this segment, given the time it has and how it slows the pacing to a crawl.
Who Is This For?
Those who enjoy strange, bittersweet romance will enjoy what “The Beast” has to offer.
Recommendations
If you like this movie, we recommend:
- Foe: A sci-fi drama about high school sweethearts whose 7-year marriage has hit a rut, and then the husband is offered a chance to go to space, while his wife is left with a clone.
- The Creator: After artificial intelligence allegedly dropped an atomic bomb on Los Angeles, the Western world cut off the progress of AI in their territories while Asian countries allowed them to flourish. We focus on a soldier tasked with finding the “Father of AI,” but in the process, he falls in love with their daughter, who makes his loyalty to her be in direct conflict with his loyalty to his country.
- After Yang: A man learns his android has a life beyond being a caretaker for his daughter, as she seeks to have the android fixed.
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