The Beautiful Beast

La belle bête

Canada

2006

110 Min

Color

2.35:1

French

Currently 2.6/5 Stars.
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EXEC Lyse Lafontaine, Michael Mosca

PROD Anne Cusson, Julien Fonfrede, Karim Hussain

CAST Carole Laure, Caroline Dhavernas, Marc-André Grondin, David La Haye, Sébastien Huberdeau, Vénutia-Ludivine Reding, Normand Lévesque

Based on the acclaimed novel La Belle Bête (translated as Mad Shadows) by Quebecoise author Marie-Claire Blais, published in 1959, The Beautiful Beast provides a harrowing pathology of the soul, centered on a family group: Patrice, the beautiful and narcissistic son; his ugly and malicious sister, Isabelle-Marie; and Louise, their vain and uncomprehending mother. These characters inhabit an amoral universe where beauty reflects no truth and love is an empty delusion.
—Wikipedia

Director

Karim Hussain

Co-writer of Nacho Cerda’s THE ABANDONED (2006), Karim Hussain is also known for his controversial first feature film as a director, SUBCONSCIOUS CRUELTY (2000) and the art-house genre film ASCENSION (2003), Winner of the New Visions Award at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, and the short film LA DERNIÈRE VOIX (THE CITY WITHOUT WINDOWS) that Hussain co-directed in 2002, and was nominated for a Jutra (Quebec Academy Award) for Best Short. Between 1997-2001 he was a programmer for the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal and also works as a cinematographer. LA BELLE BÊTE (The Beautiful Beast) (2006) premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and is Hussain’s third feature film as a director. —fantasticfest.blogspot.com

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davy

5Apr12

What a strange film. It showcases the lives of a family with dysfunctions of truly mythological proportions; the scale of these characters' vices feel almost like they would be more at home in the middle of a Greek myth. At least, that's the only way I've found to approach the story that makes it work for me.