THE BEAST unfolds across three time periods—1910, 2014 and 2044—linked by the recurring encounters between Gabrielle and Louis. In a near future shaped by artificial intelligence, strong emotions have come to be regarded as a disadvantage. To improve her prospects in this increasingly regulated society, Gabrielle undergoes a procedure that purifies her DNA by immersing her in memories of previous lives. As she moves through different eras, Gabrielle repeatedly encounters Louis. Whether in Paris on the eve of the great flood of 1910, in Los Angeles in 2014, or in the algorithmically governed world of 2044, an inexplicable connection continues to draw them together. Their relationship feels both familiar and elusive, as if some force beyond time keeps bringing them back into one another’s lives. What begins as a science-fiction premise gradually develops into a meditation on memory, desire and the persistence of emotion. While technology promises liberation from fear, uncertainty and emotional vulnerability, Gabrielle becomes increasingly haunted by a sense of impending catastrophe and by feelings that resist being erased. The film asks whether a life stripped of emotion can still be fully human. Directed by Bertrand Bonello and freely inspired by Henry James’ novella The Beast in the Jungle, THE BEAST premiered in competition at the Venice International Film Festival 2023 and was subsequently presented at major festivals including Toronto and New York. Led by Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, the film moves between romance, science fiction, psychological thriller and period drama, creating a singular exploration of love, anxiety and destiny across time.

Keywords

• Film Festival Oostende
• French Drama
• French Romance
• Impossible Love
• Love Story
• Léa Seydoux
• Mostra: The best from the previous years
• Only on Sooner
• Sooner team’s favourite movies of 2025
• identity

Actors

• Léa Seydoux
• George MacKay
• Guslagie Malanda
• Martin Scali
• Dasha Nekrasova

Director

• Bertrand Bonello