Beast Beast | Film Review

Taking off from his 2018 short, Krista, writer-director Danny Madden aims to take a defining look at the modern teenager in Beast Beast. Three youths in various states of the maturation process in search of meaning, fun, and adoration. Today is an Instagram and YouTube world, and our three leads are desperate to find their calling via varying forms of acceptance.

Returning from Madden’s short is Shirley Chan as Krista, a young wannabe actress heavily involved in her theater class while simultaneously crafting videos to gain exposure and popularity. Jose Angeles portrays Nito, a wide-eyed new kid at Krista’s school who fancies skateboarding and secretly longs for Krista’s affections. Will Madden’s Adam is an affable neighbor of Krista’s who used to make videos with her as kids, but nowadays stuffs his resume with gun review videos in an effort to garner online success.

Danny Madden weaves a Crash assembly of story elements as each teen intersects with the other as they go about living their lives – interacting at parties, gaining traction with their goals, even a growing affection between Krista and Nito – until a turn-of-events culminates in the second act which injects a heavier dose of dramatic tension for the conclusion. No spoilers here, but it is an earned twist that caught me off-guard (which doesn’t happen often enough to critics, believe me), therefore it’s one that works solely because of our involvement in the characters Madden has presented, and the convincing portrayals the actors established early on.

An eclectic soundtrack only accentuates the authenticity of Beast Beast, capturing a moment of time in the modern teen experience that occurs far too rarely these days. The dialogue unravels naturally against the backdrop of Krista, Nito, and Adam’s daily struggles and triumphs contrasted by both their personal introspections and friendships as well as their disjointed family lives. We are here with them, experiencing our world through their eyes, and Madden’s camera offers a window into their souls.

Chan, Angeles, and Madden are the trio that holds the film together, and not a single performance ever feels excessive or an attempt to upstage the material. They each imbue their characters with a hint of that youthful recklessness we all know and miss within ourselves, while underscoring their characters’ underlying neurosis. They are each attempting to thrive in a world where the need to be accepted and beloved rises above all, and the film wisely chooses to explain this respectfully rather than exploit it.

Danny Madden has delivered a strong indictment of the teenage experience in a film that should only grow esteem with age. Beast Beast is a fascinatingly entertaining drama, while also serving as a cautionary tale for those not paying enough attention to those closest to us clamoring for attention. Don’t let anyone spoil the film for you, catch Beast Beast for yourself as soon as you can.

Follow our further discussion on Beast Beast via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: