
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated Rare Beasts (2019) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Rare Beasts follows Mandy, a career-driven single mother (Billie Piper) and her turbulent relationship with Pete (Leo Bill). Possibly the most frustrating thing about this film as it’s unclear why the two of them even ended up together at all.
It’s not uncommon for people to choose poorly when they’re dating, and end up in a relationship that doesn’t work, but Rare Beasts offers no reason for the two to even end up together in the first place. Mandy’s a single mother, she’s wild, she wears bold clothing, and Pete is a traditionalist who is, frankly, a misogynist with anger issues.
Interestingly, the film’s synopsis describes Pete as ‘charming’, and I’m unable to see that quality in him, nor is it ever shown from Mandy’s point of view. She never once looks at Pete lovingly, or seems charmed by him.
The lack of context or any indication as to what drove them to be together is a problem for me. Even if we saw one tiny nice moment between them it would make sense, but throughout the film they’re consistently awful to each other with no redeeming features.
Combined with a narrative that is all over the place and dialogue that feels very unnatural, it comes across as jarring most of the time. I have no issue with unconventional film styles, but I found it very hard to follow what was going on at various points.
It seems Rare Beasts is confused about what tone its actually going for, switching between whimsical musical style scenes (minus the music or singing) and gritty realism in a matter of seconds.
I appreciated the efforts to raise awareness of social issues such as domestic abuse, gender inequalities and the struggles of bringing up a child as a single parent, but these messages are squashed by a visual style that is rather overwhelming.
There is also a sub-plot involving Mandy’s parents (Kerry Fox and David Thewlis), who have separated but appear to have a complicated relationship. This is never fully explained either so it’s hard to connect with them, especially when Mandy’s mother falls ill.
This attempt to tug at our heartstrings falls flat, which is disappointing as it had the potential to bring some real, raw emotion to Rare Beasts. Sadly it’s as disjoined and confusing as Mandy and Pete’s relationship.
It’s clear those involved in the film gave it their all, and I can’t fault the quality of the actors even though some of the lines didn’t work and felt too far removed from natural conversation to be taken seriously. At least they tried.
Billie Piper has talent, there’s no doubt about it, but she hasn’t quite made it work in this very daring debut behind the camera. If Rare Beasts was attempting to be relatable and resonate with audiences, it failed to do that with me.

MyRadar Pro NOAA Weather Radar, Forecasts & Storms
Weather and Navigation
App
Thanks to everyone for making MyRadar so successful, with over 30 million downloads! MyRadar is a...

MyRadar NOAA Weather Radar, Forecasts & Storms
Weather and Navigation
App
Thanks to everyone for making MyRadar so successful, with over 30 million downloads! MyRadar is a...

Photo Transfer App VPP
Photo & Video and Utilities
App
Photo Transfer App allows you to quickly copy photos and videos between your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC...

FileBrowser - Computers+Cloud
Utilities and Productivity
App
Use your iPad or iPhone to connect to your home computers, network drives and cloud storage,...
Tractors - Giants of Agriculture
Lifestyle and Book
App
Tractors – Giants of Agriculture is loaded with photos and information about the biggest tractors...

Rooms - Your IRC Chat Client
Social Networking and Utilities
App
Chatting with the whole world has never been so easy. Just start Rooms and you’re connected -...

This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today
Book
An inspirational book about life and its lessons from the Golden Globe and Emmy nominated star of...
Celebrity Memoir Celebrity Humor Body Positivity Confidence

Rum and Bones: Second Tide
Tabletop Game
Avast ye pirates! Gather your crews and set sail for adventure on the high seas in Rum & Bones:...
2017Games Boardgames PirateGames