United Kingdom
2024 96 mins
OV English
The haze of childhood is a magic lantern that throws light on the wall through a veil of dark both frightening and exciting, and nowhere is this better articulated than in THE BEAST WITHIN (previously titled WHAT REMAINS OF US). Kit Harington (GAME OF THRONES, ETERNALS) is a father with a secret that he is desperately trying to keep under control. His mysterious excursions at night leave his ailing daughter (Caoilinn Springall, THE MIDNIGHT SKY, STOPMOTION) plagued with questions. The old, timeless house in the woods that she lives in with her caring mother (Ashleigh Cummings, NOS4A2) and absent father feels more like a haunted castle than a loving home. As she investigates her father’s bizarre and dark behaviour, a monstrous figure emerges from the shadows, terrorizing those who encounter it. Supported by her grandfather (James Cosmo, HIGHLANDER, BRAVEHEART), she attempts to unravel the mysteries of the creature, and the revelations that she discovers will rock her family and leave her forever changed.
The uncanniness of childhood in all its revelry and magnificence is front and centre in THE BEAST WITHIN, which plunges its audience into a world haunted by a creature that stalks at the full moon. Harington, Cummings, and Cowan are dazzling as a family brought together, while at the same time equally torn apart, by darkness. With cinematography that’s eloquent and satisfyingly gothic, this modern fairy tale created by director Alexander J. Farrel (REFUGEE), esteemed documentary filmmaker making his narrative storytelling debut, ruminates on the impact of childhood trauma. – Justin Langlois