“In captivity, some go insane”.
Insane enough to fall in love with a killer? There has been a great deal of buzz from the festival circuit for the British thriller, Beast, since it debuted at last year’s TIFF. The film then had a prime slot at Sundance a couple of months ago where it was greeted with almost universal approval. The film marks the debut of writer/director Michael Pearce, but it looks to be a breakout role for young stars Johnny Flynn and Jessie Buckley.
Coincidentally, both Flynn and Buckley are musicians as well as actors. Flynn’s most prominent role to date was Song One, in which he played a famous musician opposite Anne Hathaway. This movie is a very different beast, no pun intended. It begins with 27-year-old Moll (Buckley) being rescued from an attacker by the mysterious, free-spirited Pascal. Moll has lived a sheltered life in her small, conservative island community, but the arrival and subsequent relationship with Pascal opens her up to a new world. When Pascal is accused of a series of brutal murders, it’s all Moll can do but to defend him with everything she’s got.
Beast hits select theaters on May 11th.
