Beast

Moll is a 27 year old woman still living with her parents on the Channel island of Jersey. They treat her differently because of a mistake in her past and this treatment leads other's in the community to look differently on her too. A chance encounter with fellow outcast Pascal leads to her coming out of her shell and finally she feels strong enough to vent a lifetime's worth of frustration. However, her family and the people on the island don't look so kindly on Pascal or his newfound relationship with her because of other sinister goings on around the locale.

I really liked this. It's a dark and intense and bleak tale of young love that just brims with atmosphere and foreboding. It feels like a pared down ITV miniseries like Broadchurch or Shetlands and I mean that in a good way. This film gives us all the goodness of one of those shows without any of the extraneous padding. Writer/Director Michael Pearce populates the film with intriguing characters that feel real (everyone will recognise a wagon like Jess's mam) and takes the story in directions a lot different than you might have expected if you've seen the Terence Malick-esque trailer. I love it when you haven't a bulls notion of which way a story will proceed. It's refreshing. And refreshingly strange. In a year chock a block with blockbusters it's great to see smaller films like this still being made.

Pearce also finds a strange beauty in the island of Jersey too. It's not a place you see pop up in film or TV very often apart from repeats of feckin Bergerac and Pearce utilises it's unique charms to the max. The odd accents will definitely throw you off balance. It's England but its not. At times it looks like a menacing shadowy place and then minutes later it takes on the look of an idyllic getaway by the Aegean sea . One beautiful moment of the young couple embracing on a rocky outcrop makes them look like the only people on earth. 

Island life regardless of the surroundings is strange though. We see the effects insular communities have on the people within them especially young people who struggle to find outlets for their frustration. How they create oddly intense relationships and how small populations and the lack of romantic opportunities affect folk. We see how living butted up against each other creates an unhealthily close knit clique who will always react badly to anyone they see as an intruder. And Pascal's intentions towards Moll are definitely seen as that.

Jessie Buckley as Moll is immense and watching her change as the story unfolds is very affecting. From a tightly wound adult treated like a child to a primal screaming force of nature her transformation is a pretty stunning watch. Little things like speaking back or standing up for herself and even to the way she makes love to her fella. Details that all add up and pay off perfectly as the film comes to a close. Johnny Flynn as Pascal is an odd presence. Pascal has been away from the mainstream of life for too long and Flynn does well showing how it's damaged him. Hygiene is a thing of no importance and normal conversation is a struggle. A cringe making dinner scene with Moll's family will have you on the edge of your seat even though it's just words being thrown about. Dialogue can be as painful as any violence in the right hands.

This is dark. It won't be for everyone and a couple of jarring moments might leave some people unsatisfied but if you are looking for something a little bit unusual this should hit the spot for you. It's a different kind of love story.

Out now on dvd/blu-ray.