Review of Beast (2018) by Tony P — 10 May 2018

Psychological thriller set on the English Channel island of Jersey. It has an element of one of those 1970s low budget Tales Of The Unexpected/Bergerac directed by Pete Walker about it!

The film is centred around a young female character Moll (played by the excellent Jessie Buckley).

Moll is a bit of an enigma. Unfairly upstaged by her relatives we see one such example at a supposed birthday party/BBQ being staged for her where she is gazumped by her sister in law announcing to everyone she is pregnant with twins.

Moll's history is revealed revealing a shocking childhood event.

Her mother is domineering and controlling (Geraldine James) inadvertently treating Moll less favourably than her brother?

Moll is left to babysit not only her nephew/niece but look after her I'll father who has some form of dementia.

Anyway she cracks under the pressure leaving the party and getting drunk at a club. She forms an erotic friendship with a rather unfamiliar character Pascal (Johnny Flynn).

The friendship is met with dismay by her mother and upper class fraternity.

All these events are taking place whilst Jersey is being terrorised by a serial killer.

It transpires the 'rough' Pascal is one of the suspects at first unknown to Moll who is enjoying her sexual freedom.

As the film progresses Moll learns of the police suspicions and herself has doubts as to Pascals involvement in the killings.

That forms the backbone of the film. The viewer makes their own mind up.

British independent film just gets better and better in 2018.

The low budget is counter balanced by the performances of the cast and haunting location photography of Jersey. (I never watched Bergerac!).

The end of the film is even more shocking than the events that have taken place beforehand. Let's just say Moll isn't the sweet and innocent choir singer and coach tour guide seen at the start of the film.