Three generations of a family living in a fortified compound have a secret they cannot let out.
Written by Greer Ellison and Alexander J. Farrell and directed by Farrell, the film’s story here revolves around the family unit at hand, but the center of the story is the father who has something wrong with him it seems, something not quite right. The story here mostly shows the effects of this and of living so remotely on the daughter and mother, both of whom are engaging characters with the grandfather being there as a supporting character who doesn’t get enough to do or say here. The father is not seen as much as some will want him to, especially considering how prominent he is in the marketing of the film. The story here doesn’t necessarily go the way some would expect, but it also does, sort of. This is truly one of those films where talking too much about the story would ruin it for many. The writing here is good and the direction works well with it. It’s definitely a film some will love, and some will hate, with this viewer falling in the like category. The film has some strength and a few frustrations, but overall, the story works, and the mystery keeps the viewer interested and involved with it.
The cast here is what is going to bring a bunch of people to the film and Kit Harrington will be the main attraction for most. His presence is felt throughout the film, but he is not the lead here. The daughter is and the mother in close second. The daughter here is played by Caoilinn Springall who is fantastic and is the center of attention in every single scene she is in. She gives a fantastic performance and is clearly a skilled actor. This is her 5th credit in film and television and if she keeps turning performances this strong, she will one to watch for. Playing her mother is Ashleigh Cummings whose performance is solid and layered, one that gives the viewer the impression that there is more to their situation from the start and that perhaps we will never know the full story of this character. She’s amazing to watch, a very strong performance, one that the whole film and her screen daughter can lean on. Playing her husband and the father to Springall’s character, the aforementioned Kit Harrington does decent, but is definitely outshined by the ladies. Playing the grandpa, James Cosmo is a quiet strength for the film, he’s there, his body language and facial expressions say much more than any of the words he utters. Another solid performance in a film with a minimal cast. The supporting cast here is also quite good.
These characters live in a house and on a compound that are on point for what is needed here. The look of the place creates a sort of mix between eerie and home comforts on a budget, it all looks lived in properly and still has areas that are scary to look at not knowing what could be in there. The cinematography by Daniel Katz is perfect for the story and location, one early sequence in particular is just beautiful and it’s a shot of the gates to the compound. The lighting, the framing, everything here creates atmosphere, something that allows the rest of the film to do the same. Even darker sequences are well-lit while being dark, something Katz and teamwork with beautifully well.
The Beast Within is a film where it is better to go in with as little information as possible while remaining open-minded about it all. Applying a preconception of what the film is about and where it’s going would only lead to disappointment. The film as a whole is a strong mystery with horror elements, the leads, especially Springall, are great, and the look of the film grabs you and brings you in early on. It’s a film that grows on you as you are watching it.
This year the Fantasia International Film Festival 2024 runs in Montreal from July 18th to August 4th.