The Beast15

Directed by Bertrand Bonello | France | 2023 | 2h 27m | French w/ English subtitles | Starring Léa Seydoux, George MacKay, Guslagie Malanda, Elina Löwensohn, Dasha Nekrasova

In a not-so-distant future where emotions pose a danger, a woman makes a bold choice: she opts to cleanse her DNA using a machine that will plunge her into her past lives, stripping away any intense feelings. Throughout these sessions, she crosses paths with a young man who she recognises from a previous life. Bertrand Bonello creates a gripping blend of sweeping melodrama and dystopian horror in this suspenseful sci-fi delving into various contemporary anxieties, from the unchecked ascent of AI to the dread of emotional connection and rejection.

Reviews

‘MacKay and Seydoux have a natural frisson together whatever the era, one sparked from the fact that he’s always changing, and she never does.’
★★★★★
David Ehrlich, IndieWire

‘A luxurious cinematic experience…created with such elan and attack, and the musical score amplifies its throb of fear.’
★★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Beast between June 14, 2024 and June 20, 2024.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 4th June)

20:30

Come and See 15
+ Introduction
2h 20m | Russian w/ English subtitles
A young boy joins the Soviet fight against the Nazis, witnessing war’s unspeakable horrors. Elem Klimov’s harrowing masterpiece is an unflinching, nightmarish vision of World War II and one of cinema’s most devastating antiwar films.

Book here


Tomorrow (Thursday 5th June)

15:45

Good One 15
1h 30m
On a three-day backpacking trip, 17-year-old Sam navigates the tense dynamics between her father and his oldest friend. When boundaries are crossed and trust is broken, simmering conflicts erupt in India Donaldson's perceptive debut.

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18:00

Hallow Road 15
1h 20m
A frantic late-night call sets a family on a collision course with truth, guilt, and unraveling loyalty. Rosamund Pike and Matthew Rhys star in this tense, morally complex thriller from BAFTA-winning British-Iranian director Babak Anvari (Under the Shadow).

Book here

20:00

Time Travel Is Dangerous! 15
1h 39m
Best friends Ruth and Megan discover a time machine and use it to stock their vintage shop – with risky consequences. Join us for this witty British sci-fi comedy followed by a Q&A with co-writers and producers Anna and Hillary Shakespeare.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!