Bertrand Bonello

The Beast

The Beast

By the year 2044, artificial intelligence reigns, and human emotions are a liability that must be surgically removed to produce a more pliant workforce. But this procedure triggers Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) to experience haunting memories of her past lives, as she encounters different incarnations of her paramour, Louis (George MacKay), first in belle epoque Paris and then in 2014 Los Angeles. As she once more undergoes the pains and pleasures of romance—and rediscovers what it means to be truly alive—Gabrielle awaits the erasure of her humanity with growing fascination and dread. In his most ambitious film yet, visionary director Bertrand Bonello freely adapts Henry James’s novella The Beast in the Jungle into a visually stunning science-fiction labyrinth that is as metaphysically mysterious as it is emotionally powerful. Powered by Seydoux’s heartrending performance, The Beast poignantly imagines the consequences of humankind becoming too afraid to risk the inherent vulnerability of love.

Janus Contemporaries releases Blu-ray and DVD editions of first-run films, fresh from theaters, in association with the Criterion Channel.

Film Info

  • France
  • 2023
  • 147 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1/1.33:1
  • French, English

INCLUDES

  • Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Bertrand Bonello
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Purchase Options

INCLUDES

  • Meet the Filmmakers, a new interview with director Bertrand Bonello
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
The Beast
Cast
Léa Seydoux
Gabrielle
George MacKay
Louis
Guslagie Malanda
The doll Kelly
Dasha Nekrasova
Dakota
Martin Scali
Georges
Elina Löwensohn
The clairvoyant
Marta Hoskins
Gina
Julia Faure
Sophie
Kester Lovelace
Tom
Félicien Pinot
Augustin
Laurent Lacotte
The architect
Credits
Director
Bertrand Bonello
Writer
Bertrand Bonello
Producer
Justin Taurand
Producer
Bertrand Bonello
Coproducer
Nancy Grant
Coproducer
Xavier Dolan
Cinematographer
Josée Deshaies
Editor
Anita Roth
Production designer
Katia Wyszkop
Sound
Nicolas Cantin
Sound
Clément Laforce
Sound
Jean-Pierre Laforce
Original score
Bertrand Bonello
Original score
Anna Bonello