Rare Beasts

Last updated

Rare Beasts
Rare Beasts film poster.jpg
Directed by Billie Piper
Written byBillie Piper
Produced byVaughan Sivell
Starring
CinematographyPatrick Meller
Edited byHazel Baillie
Music by
  • Johnny Lloyd
  • Nathan Coen
Production
companies
  • Western Edge Pictures
  • Moffen Media Limited
Release dates
  • 31 August 2019 (2019-08-31)(Venice)
  • 21 May 2021 (2021-05-21)(United Kingdom)
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$63,828 [1]

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.

Contents

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.

Premise

Mandy is 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

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

Of the 51 reviews collected by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 71% were reported as being positive with an average rating of 6.1/10. 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

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2020 Göteborg Film Festival Awards Ingmar Bergman International Debut AwardRare BeastsNominated [17]
SXSW Film Festival Awards Adam Yauch Hörnblowér AwardNominated [17]
2022 National Film Awards Best Actress Billie Piper Nominated [18]
Outstanding PerformanceNominated [18]
Best DirectorNominated [18]

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References

  1. ↑ "Rare Beasts (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (10 May 2018). "Billie Piper to make directing debut with "anti-rom-com" 'Rare Beasts' (exclusive)". Screen International . Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Ritman, Alex (11 September 2018). "David Thewlis Joins Billie Piper's Directorial Debut 'Rare Beasts'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Rare Beasts". Barcelona Film Commission. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (19 July 2019). "Billie Piper's Directorial Debut, 'Rare Beasts,' to Bow in Venice Critics' Week". Variety . Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  7. ↑ Kelby, Rosamund. "London Film Festival 2019: Rare Beasts". The Upcoming. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Niall. "Rare Beasts to Irish premiere at 20th Kerry International Film Festival". Scannain. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. ↑ Larki, Shadan (23 March 2020). "SXSW 2020: Rare Beasts Film Review". Shuffle Online. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Richardson, Hollie. "Rare Beasts: watch the twisted trailer for Billie Piper's new drama modern love". Stylist . Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  11. ↑ Edwards, Chris (12 February 2021). "Billie Piper and Lily James star in first trailer for dark new movie". Digital Spy . Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ Dalton, Ben (12 May 2020). "UK cinema reopening dates: latest updates". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Dalton, Ben (14 May 2021). "Independent distributors see opportunities as UK cinemas set to reopen". HITC. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Weston, Christopher (22 May 2021). "Rare Beasts: Where to watch the Billie Piper movie – Is it streaming on Netflix?". HITC. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Rare Beasts (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  17. 1 2 Rare Beasts (2019) - IMDb , retrieved 4 October 2022
  18. 1 2 3 admin (5 July 2022). "Winners of the 8th annual National Film Awards 2022 announced". National Film Awards. Retrieved 4 October 2022.


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