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Fantasia 2024: The Beast Within Review
Image Credit: Well GO USA
Loading...Directed by: Alexander J. Farrell
Written by: Greer Taylor Ellison & Alexander J. Farrell
Starring:
Kit Harington – Noah
Ashleigh Cummings – Imogen
Caoilinn Springall – Willow
James Cosmo – Waylon
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated R for some violent content and language.
Werewolves have always been a natural fit for allegory, especially in film. Whether coming of age stories, queer metaphors or the good old “exploration of man’s darker side” classic, the man who becomes a wolf when the autumn moon is bright has always worked well as a concept to explore a variety of topics relating to that which humanity struggles to control within itself.
In that respect, The Beast Within falls right in line with the litany of werewolf films that came before it. Alexander J. Farrell’s film centers its monster on the concept of generational trauma and cycles of abuse. The modern gothic fairy tale relies on heavy mood and strong performances to sell the story, though its heavy-handed approach to the themes sells itself short at times.
Caoilinn Springall plays Willow, a ten-year-old living in a rural area of England with her parents Noah (Kit Harington) and Imogen (Cummings). Afflicted with a condition that requires her to have an oxygen tank, she is mostly relegated to staying indoors where she reads, plays with miniatures, or spends time with her mother or grandfather Waylon (Cosmo).
Willow’s relationship with Noah is tenuous. He leaves for several days each month, Imogen driving him away with a hog while Waylon stays at the house. It could be just going out and selling livestock to be slaughtered at a distant town. But she’s an observant girl, and she can hear the way Imogen and Waylon whisper-argue about her discovering “the truth.” She sees Imogen scrubbing blood out of a coat or sporting bruises on her side, and chafes at how she’s not allowed to be out after dark.
When she seeks answers, Willow finds herself stonewalled. Her mother snaps at her when she seeks answers; her grandfather plays silent, even as he warns Imogen at one point that he’s not going to keep watching this. But answers will eventually come, and the truth behind her father’s dark secret has dangerous implications for them all.
Farrell co-wrote the script for The Beast Within with Greer Taylor Ellison, and its domestic abuse allegory is not understated. But that’s fine, as it’s not what they’re not aiming for. It’s a strength of the film that it could have excised the werewolf elements and had a less interesting, but still resonant, story about the very non-supernatural horrors contained within. That there’s a family curse just adds more layers, albeit ones that become a bit too much at times.
It’s easy to see what Farrell is going for here, and it helps that he’s working with a strong cast. Springall embodies the nuances of her character well; it’s a tricky role, but she gets under the skin of this girl balancing the love for her parents with the growing understanding that of what their secrets are doing to them all. Cummings and Cosmo are two sides of the same tragic coin, caught between complicity and love even as they suffer in different ways.
Harington has the biggest performance as befitting the character; he is able to walk the line between a loving father and something much more sinister. Some of his interactions with Cummings in particular are chilling, but his dynamic with Springall is the most interesting. They don’t get as many scenes together as you might hope, but it proves to be all the more effective as we hear his footfalls around the house and see him through cracks in doors. His shadow falls heavy around the house, giving the Game of Thrones star a performance he can (forgive the pun) sink his teeth into.
For all the scenes that work though, there are others where the film, much like Noah, struggles with its dual nature. Farrell and cinematographer Daniel Katz capture the sweeping landscapes of Yorkshire in gorgeous wide shots, contrasted against the claustrophobic interiors of the family’s manor home. The visuals eventually give way in the final act to darkened nighttime scenes when it’s time for everything to pay off.
And this is where the metaphor gets muddled, giving way to the need for cat and mouse tension and bursts of violence. The tension is well-shot, and the action works well for the film’s budget, but Farrell loses control of both the narrative and his monster. In both cases, the final act is a situation where less would have been more, and Farrell’s decision to dispense with the subtlety and flat-out explain the allegory strips the climax of its strength.
Fortunately, even with that misstep there’s still a lot to like and appreciate in The Beast Within. Farrell understands the mood he wants to convey well and he builds tension nicely in the slow build across the first couple of acts. No matter how shaky it gets, the cast keeps it from toppling over and for whatever its flaws, there’s enough here to keep it from falling fully to the wayside.
The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal from July 18th through August 4th.
