Léa Seydoux’s résumé reads like a Who’s Who in the film industry. After appearing in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (2010), she scored roles in arthouse faves such as Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011); Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The French Dispatch (2021); David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future (2022) and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two (2024); with franchise hits Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011) and No Time to Die (2021) in between.
Still, the French actress is hardly a household name in the States. Theoretically, the 2024 release of Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast (2023) could change things since the leading lady carries the sci-fi romance on her shoulders as she plays reincarnations of the same woman in three different eras.
Like Charlie Kaufman’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), the story is set in the near future where technological advances make it possible for people to erase past traumas related to relationships. Although Gabrielle (Seydoux) must undergo this DNA purification to land a good job, she’s worried about the side effects. By losing her feelings, will she become less human?
Bonello effectively conveys this sentiment with visual correlations between a doll factory in 1910 and Artificial Intelligence in 2044. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to lament the loss of emotion when the characters he’s written are so restrained in the first place. Most of the movie has them talking about their passions instead of showing much chemistry.
Similarly, Gabrielle is supposedly a sensual pianist yet she never performs on camera. Instead, the film appropriates vocals by Patsy Cline (“You Belong to Me”), Roy Orbison (“Evergreen”), and Maria Callas (“Madam Butterfly”) to inject some soul into its detached depiction of eternal love, longing and loss.
Bonello’s script is inspired by the Henry James novella “The Beast in the Jungle” (1903) which tells the cautionary tale of a man so convinced something catastrophic will ruin his life, he keeps love at bay and consequently ruins his life. Gabrielle suffers from the same sense of foreboding, but the natural and manmade catastrophes she fears actually occur. As such, the irony found in the book is exchanged for telegraphed tragedies on screen.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Throughout time, an ominous pigeon follows Gabrielle as she tries in vain to connect with Louis (George MacKay) who comes to her as a sweet Frenchman in 2044; a dashing Brit in 1910 Paris; and a deranged American (with a gun) in 2014 Los Angeles. The latter segment is problematic since MacKay’s accent is unconvincing and the stereotype he’s portraying is pretty ugly.
Considering the World Health Organization’s statistics on men committing violence against women, it seems negligent to suggest an incel shooting the object of his desire is part of a timeless romance. In fact, Gabrielle shows greater anguish when Louis’s mind is scrubbed than when he murders her in cold blood. Is the movie reflecting society’s current stance that a man’s feelings are more important than a woman’s physical safety?
Or has Bonello inadvertently stumbled onto this timely issue as he throws everything at the wall? It’s hard to say since the longer the film goes on, the more vapid its messaging becomes. And at 2 hours and 26 minutes, The Beast overstays its welcome. Nevertheless, audiences who already appreciate Seydoux may enjoy the show.
Also known as La bête, The Beast is partially in English but mostly in French with subtitles. The film opens this Friday at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre and can also be seen at AMC River East 21 and AMC Evanston 12.