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Parents' Guide to

Beast

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Violence, drinking, and sex in suspenseful thriller.

Movie R 2017 107 minutes
Beast Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

In BEAST, Moll (Jessie Buckley) is 27 and still living at home and working as a tour guide on bus tours of the Channel Islands. Beyond weary of her surroundings and the ever-watchful eye of her domineering mother (Geraldine James), she walks out on her own birthday party and goes to a nightclub to drink and dance until the next morning. While trying to ward off the aggressive sexual advances of the man she met at the club, Moll meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn), a seemingly rough-and-tumble yet sensitive man who happens to be out hunting rabbits and uses his rifle to stop the near-assault. Pascal, who works as a home repairman, seems to say and do everything Moll wishes she could say and do in her claustrophobic life -- he swears in front of her mother, fights back against bullies, and doesn't bother even attempting to conform to the standards of the island's country-club set. Pascal and Moll begin a whirlwind romance, culminating in Moll rejecting her family and moving in with him. But the romance is complicated by the horrifying news of a serial killer roaming the island and killing and raping women. Pascal, with his mysterious past and long rap sheet, is a prime suspect; Moll is informed of this by a police officer who has also had a crush on her for quite some time, thus making it difficult for Moll to take him at his word. Moll doesn't know who to believe, as the reality is further complicated by Moll's own past actions.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3 ):

While audiences want thrillers to go left when it's expected that they'll go right, this film accomplishes this and so much more. There's such an awareness of the conventions of the "doomed romance of the bad boy and good girl" story that the unreal reality takes on incredible proportions. In this backdrop -- Jersey, in the Channel Islands, as beautiful as it is boring for Moll, a literal "choir girl" of 27 living an oppressive home life ruled by a domineering mother -- Moll's recurring dreams of home invasions are as surreal as Moll and Pascal getting swept up in line dancing with other Europeans after unknowingly going to a local pub during its "Country Music Night."

The acting in Beast is extraordinary from beginning to end. As Pascal, Johnny Flynn transitions from James Dean to Ted Bundy and back again, and the seeming ease by which he does this makes it impossible to know with 100% certainty if he's truly evil or simply misunderstood. As Moll, Jessie Buckley delivers a truly incredible performance, with so much depth and nuance, the demons lurking beneath the surface-level "repressed nonconformist in a sea of conformity" are truly shocking, as the viewer begins to question their assumptions as to which characters are "sympathetic" and which are not. It's a movie that rewards careful and repeated viewing, a bold debut by director Michael Pearce. Recommended for older teens and adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about thrillers. How does Beast compare to other suspenseful movies where the action slowly builds and the answers aren't completely revealed until the film's final minutes?

  • What are some other examples of movies centered on a "bad boy" rebel type and the "good girl" from a more conservative background sharing an unlikely and seemingly doomed romance?

  • How does this movie play with the conventions of thriller movies?

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