Film Review: Beast

There’s a serial killer on the loose on Jersey. Teenage girls are being murdered, making the island feel even smaller; the sea that surrounds it now feels less like an ocean of possibilities, and more like a moat, designed to keep the inhabitants trapped.

The murders add another layer of tension to the family life of Moll (Jessie Buckley), a deeply unhappy misfit who is constantly outshone by her siblings and fiercely controlled by her cold mother (Geraldine James). There is a reason for the wariness with which people treat Moll; a shameful secret about her past that remains unspoken but ever-present.

When Moll falls for the roguish and mysterious Pascal (Johnny Flynn), her family are horrified. Pascal’s volatility, love of hunting rifles and criminal record have made him a suspect in the murders – but he’s also one of the only people who treats Moll with any gentleness and understanding.

British TV director Michael Pearce finds a canny balance between arthouse character study and psychosexual thriller, all grounded in Buckley’s captivating lead performance. Moll pivots from ethereal, wide-eyed innocence to carnal excess with remarkable ease – or intentional unease. Buckley’s performance portrays a constant sense of disconnect from the people and world around her, which makes Moll unpredictable – when you’re loyal to no-one and don’t abide by social norms, what are you capable of?

Pearce subtly imbues Beast with tiny but tension-ridden details: Pascal deliberately muddying up Moll’s carpet under the fierce glare of her mother; the widening of a woman’s eyes when she recognises Moll from their shared past; and Jim Williams’ eerie score quietly screaming in the background of even the tenderest moments. Nervy, wicked and intoxicating, Beast is a beaut.