By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Starring Kit Harington, Ashleigh Cummings and Caoillinn Springall
Directed by Alexander J. Farrell
Written by Greer Taylor Ellison and Alexander J. Farrell
Well Go USA
Werewolf cinema in the 21st century has frequently used lycanthropy as an analogy for female sexual coming of age, from 2000’s GINGER SNAPS to last year’s MY ANIMAL. THE BEAST WITHIN attempts a different sort of allegory with a younger female protagonist–and demonstrates the pitfalls of putting the metaphor before the monster, so to speak.
THE BEAST WITHIN, which had its world premiere at the current Fantasia International Film Festival ahead of its general release tomorrow, takes place at a non-specific time in the wilds of England. Ten-year-old Willow (Caoillinn Springall) lives on a farm with her mother Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings) and her father Noah (Kit Harington)–though not much is seen of him in the opening act. Adopting Willow’s point of view, director Alexander J. Farrell, who scripted with Greer Taylor Ellison, only gives us half-glimpsed and -heard snatches of interaction between the parents, enough to hint that something isn’t quite right in the household. Willow also has to deal with an unspecified respiratory ailment that requires her to take regular hits off a large oxygen tank. It’s an isolated life, and Willow is a curious child–her inquisitive nature soon leading her to discover a dark family secret.
Given the movie’s title and setup, it’s not giving too much away to reveal what happens when Imogen takes Noah away from the house when the full moon rises. Following them one night, Willow witnesses her mom chaining up her dad amidst the ruins of an old castle; their shared mantra during this ritual is “Nothing changes,” which is of course ironic since he needs to be restrained due to his transformation into something bestial. Then again, a hostile side of Noah sometimes slips out in everyday life, to the increasing consternation of Imogen’s father Waylon (James Cosmo), who also lives on the farm.
So Farrell and co. are here using werewolfry as an extrapolation of the animal that erupts from within husbands and fathers in domestic abuse scenarios, which is fertile territory to explore. Unfortunately, the storytelling and choices of emphasis undercut its impact. A crucial issue is that we’re not given a sense of the relationship between Noah and Willow that’s upset by his monstrous side; the two don’t share a significant scene together until about the 40-minute mark, after Willow has discovered her dad’s dark secret. In general, there’s a sense of not being shown enough of what’s really going on in this household–we see more reaction than action–which keeps us from emotionally hooking into the story. By the ending, we realize there’s a reason for that, but the concluding development succeeds only in making us question a lot of what has come before, and certain key moments no longer make sense.
It’s a shame, since THE BEAST WITHIN is well-acted by its small ensemble. Harington is convincing as a family man dealing with his inability to prevent his more violent side from emerging, Cummings elicits real sympathy balancing Imogen’s love for and fear of her husband, Springall (previously seen in STOPMOTION) is a fine, sensitive little actress and Cosmo has a few strong moments as the concerned Waylon. The movie has been well-crafted too, with particular praise due Daniel Katz’s cinematography, which balances naturalism and a fairy-tale quality with occasional colored lighting. The visual scheme feels better thought through than the narrative approach to the movie’s themes; those final moments make it clear what the filmmakers are trying to say, even as they further muddle the way in which they’re saying it.
