by Michele Pearson:
What would you do for your child? Would you kill for them? Die for them? Those are questions that parents are often asked, usually followed by the answers “Anything”, “Yes”, and “Yes”. The Beast asks a different question: would you be able to kill your child to save others?
Bill Oberst Jr portrays a father, Michel, whose only son, Jacob, has become a werewolf. On the night of the full moon, Michel and his friend Douglas have retreated to the woods with Jacob in order to restrain him for the night. Through early discussion, this has been less than successful in the past and Douglas begs Michel to put the boy out of his misery and keep the rest of the populace out of harm’s way. Michel is, of course, reluctant. “He’s my son, my only son” is Michel’s chant as he ties Jacob to a tree. Michel can’t see anything aside from his son’s face and refuses to allow Douglas to even consider killing Jacob but, as the full moon rises, Michel is finally faced with a decision no parent should have to make.
Bill is an amazing actor. He actually becomes the character for the time he is on the screen. He has shown this as Abraham Lincoln, as angry Amish father Samuel Lapp in The Shunning, and as a cannibalistic backwoods killer Dale in Dismal. I love watching him perform and he does not disappoint in The Beast. As Michel, the pain he feels is evident. His son is now a monster, has apparently hurt or killed someone and yet Michel can’t bear to let him go. The anguish, heartbreak and indecision show plainly on his face. Jacob, played by Alexander LeBas, appears resigned to his fate. He knows what he is, he knows he is dangerous but it’s unclear whether he longs to hang on to his humanity or to embrace the monster he has become. Peter LeBas as Douglas is the only person who knows what needs to be done and is also the only one willing to do it. Douglas knows that Jacob has to die, knows how hard it is for Michel to do the deed and is willing to take that responsibility off of his friend’s shoulders.
The Beast takes place roughly in the 1800’s, obvious by the dress and the weaponry, but doesn’t delve too deeply into this fact. I appreciate films that don’t find it necessary to use screen time to explain who they are, where they are and why they are there. The director, Peter Dukes, keeps the drama moving forward from the first frame. He has a story to tell and he does not stray from that story with insignificant details. Instead, by using shadow and indirect shots, the director is able to keep this from being just another monster film by keeping the focus on the people. That is what makes this film different from other “monster movies”. The monster is merely a prop in the background. The true horror is watching a parent slowly come to the realization that they may have to kill their child and leaves the viewer to answer the awful question for themselves: would you be able to do it?
Michele Pearson is a contributor for DarkMedia. She covers Vampire Diaries and any other films, books, etc that come her way. She reads everything from Lonesome Dove to Game of Thrones and loves epic tv series like Doctor Who and Star Trek: TNG. Michele also loves a good horror film and was able to channel that love as a judge for Shriekfest 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @GirlInRowB and check out her blog at http://www.girlinrowb.com.
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