Rare Beasts (film)
Rare Beasts is a 2019 British psychological romantic drama film written and directed by Billie Piper in her directorial debut.[2] It stars Piper, Lily James, David Thewlis, Leo Bill, Kerry Fox and Toby Woolf.
Rare Beasts | |
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Directed by | Billie Piper |
Written by | Billie Piper |
Produced by | Vaughan Sivell |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Patrick Meller |
Edited by | Hazel Baillie |
Music by |
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Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $63,828[1] |
Rare Beasts premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 31 August 2019, later receiving a simultaneous release in cinemas and digitally on 21 May 2021 in the UK.
Plot
An anti rom-com about Mandy, a career-driven nihilistic single mother with a deeply disturbed son, who falls in love with a patriarchal man with rage issues named Pete.
Cast
- Billie Piper as Mandy
- Leo Bill as Pete
- David Thewlis as Vic
- Lily James as Cressida
- Kerry Fox as Marion
- Toby Woolf as Larch
- Jonjo O'Neill as Dougie
- Antonia Campbell-Hughes as Cathy
- Montserrat Lombard as Val
- Mariah Gale as Vanessa
- Michael Elwyn as Bertie
Production
In May 2018, it was announced Billie Piper would write, direct, and star in the film.[3] In September 2018, it was announced that principal photography had commenced, with David Thewlis, Leo Bill and Kerry Fox joining the cast of the film.[4] Filming took place in London, as well as Lloret de Mar, Catalonia, Spain.[5]
Release
Rare Beasts had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 31 August 2019.[6] The film later screened at the London Film Festival and the Kerry Film Festival, both in October 2019.[7][8] The film's North American premiere was scheduled to take place at South by Southwest in March 2020, however, the festival was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
In February 2021, the film's first official trailer was released and distributor Republic Film Distribution earmarked its UK theatrical release for 7 May 2021.[10][11] The film's release date was later revised to 21 May 2021,[12] as government lockdown restrictions on indoor cinemas were lifted from 17 May in England, Scotland and Wales.[13] The film received a limited release in 30 cinemas across the UK and was simultaneously made available to purchase and stream on Amazon Prime Video and the Google Play Store.[14][15]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 50 critics and, categorising the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 19 as positive and 13 as negative for a 68% rating. Among the reviews, it determined an average rating of 5.9/10. The critics consensus reads "Billie Piper's admirably bold directorial vision isn't quite enough to counter Rare Beasts' frustratingly shallow treatment of its weightier themes."[16]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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2020 | Göteborg Film Festival Awards | Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award | Rare Beasts | Nominated | [17] |
SXSW Film Festival Awards | Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award | Nominated | [17] | ||
2022 | National Film Awards | Best Actress | Billie Piper | Nominated | [18] |
Outstanding Performance | Nominated | [18] | |||
Best Director | Nominated | [18] |
References
- "Rare Beasts (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
- Wiseman, Andreas (7 October 2019). "'Rare Beasts': First Footage Of Billie Piper In Her Venice & London Film Festival Directorial Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- Mitchell, Wendy (10 May 2018). "Billie Piper to make directing debut with "anti-rom-com" 'Rare Beasts' (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- Ritman, Alex (11 September 2018). "David Thewlis Joins Billie Piper's Directorial Debut 'Rare Beasts'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
- "Rare Beasts". Barcelona Film Commission. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- Vivarelli, Nick (19 July 2019). "Billie Piper's Directorial Debut, 'Rare Beasts,' to Bow in Venice Critics' Week". Variety. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- Kelby, Rosamund. "London Film Festival 2019: Rare Beasts". The Upcoming. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Murphy, Niall. "Rare Beasts to Irish premiere at 20th Kerry International Film Festival". Scannain. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Larki, Shadan (23 March 2020). "SXSW 2020: Rare Beasts Film Review". Shuffle Online. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Richardson, Hollie. "Rare Beasts: watch the twisted trailer for Billie Piper's new drama modern love". Stylist. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Edwards, Chris (12 February 2021). "Billie Piper and Lily James star in first trailer for dark new movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Cremona, Patrick (28 April 2021). "Rare Beasts release date: Everything you need to know about Billie Piper's directorial debut". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Dalton, Ben (12 May 2020). "UK cinema reopening dates: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- Dalton, Ben (14 May 2021). "Independent distributors see opportunities as UK cinemas set to reopen". HITC. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
- Weston, Christopher (22 May 2021). "Rare Beasts: Where to watch the Billie Piper movie – Is it streaming on Netflix?". HITC. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "Rare Beasts (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- Rare Beasts (2019) - IMDb, retrieved 4 October 2022
- admin. "Winners of the 8th annual National Film Awards 2022 announced". National Film Awards. Retrieved 4 October 2022.