In the near future artificial intelligence is in control of everyone’s lives and human emotions are perceived as a threat.

First things first, I don’t recommend going to see ‘The Beast’ after a challenging day at work. I suspect I may have struggled to follow along with Bertrand Bonello’s latest movie in any case, but that certainly made it harder! Trying to distil ‘The Beast’ down to a simple synopsis is nigh on impossible (does the line above from IMDB help at all? Probably not in this case!), as this is such a complex science fiction movie that deals in such weighty themes, but I shall try my best.

‘The Beast’ is set 20 years in the future in a world where artificial intelligence has taken over a large number of jobs, on the premise that A.I. is better equipped to make measured decisions than humans, who are blinded by their emotions. To adapt in this new environment, it has became possible for humans to undergo a process to purify their DNA, which involves entering their ‘past lives’ with the aim of removing any strong emotions that in the present, are a barrier to work. So far so simple? Thankfully our viewpoint into this complex premise is the brilliant Léa Seydoux, who plays Gabrielle, and we follow her as she goes back firstly to 1910s Paris, and secondly 2010s Los Angeles, where she exists in her ‘past lives’ as a slightly different version of who she is in the present. George MacKay plays the male lead Louis who crops up in each timeline and his interactions with Gabrielle are key to understanding the themes of ‘The Beast’.

The obvious touchpoint for ‘The Beast’ is the works of David Lynch, which often seem impenetrable but can be deeply rewarding if you can get on the right wavelength, and I love a lot of Lynch’s works (whilst being indifferent to others). ‘The Beast’, for me, on the pendulum falls closer to impenetrable than deeply rewarding and I did find it challenging to follow and fully understand. That being said, I was always engrossed in the story that was unfolding, largely down to the brilliant Seydoux who is captivating throughout, and I wanted to reach a point of enlightenment when it all clicked into place. That point did come, but I’d be lying if I didn’t confess a readthrough of the Wikipedia synopsis was needed after the movie had finished to fill in the gaps!

‘The Beast’ is a movie that I think would certainly benefit from a rewatch, where with the benefit of foresight and understanding the richness of the story and its themes would come to the fore, but on a first watch, this was an intriguing watch but not one that fully came together and clicked into place for me.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Bertrand Bonello

Starring: Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Guslagie Malanda, Dasha Nekrasova, Martin Scali, Elina Löwensohn, Marta Hoskins and Julia Faure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt14407336/