The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle, from a screenplay by John Hodge, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, and Robert Carlyle.

Richard meets two American surfers, Zeph and Sammie, who have heard rumors of the island and he gives them a copy of the map.

Shocked at witnessing their deaths, Richard smothers Christo to put him out of his misery and gathers Françoise and Étienne to leave the island.

The lead farmer gives Sal a gun loaded with a single bullet and orders her to make a choice: kill Richard and the group will be allowed to stay, or else they must all leave immediately.

Shocked by her willingness to commit murder, the other members of the community abandon Sal, leave the island, and go their separate ways.

Back in the United States, Richard receives an email at an Internet cafe from Françoise with a nostalgic group photograph of the beach community in happier times.

[2] Director Danny Boyle and producer Andrew Macdonald bought the rights to the book using their salaries from their 1997 film A Life Less Ordinary.

[3] In August 1997, Boyle, Macdonald, and screenwriter John Hodge went to Thailand, specifically Ko Samui, to scout for locations and get into the mindset of the book.

[4] Ewan McGregor, a frequent collaborator of Boyle's and Macdonald's, was believed to be cast in the lead role, but was ultimately not chosen.

[5] It was speculated that Boyle was offered additional funding under the condition that the character of Richard be rewritten to be American and played by a bigger name actor.

[5][6] Whilst promoting T2 Trainspotting on The Graham Norton Show, the dispute between the two was discussed in more depth, with McGregor stating "It was a mis-handling and a mis-understanding over the film and it's a big regret of mine that it went on for so very long... and it didn't matter about The Beach, it was never about that.

"[7] Leonardo DiCaprio, who was coming off of the massive box office success of Titanic, had his pick of lead roles in various films, including American Psycho[8] and The Talented Mr.

[10][11][12] DiCaprio chose the project because he felt the novel's themes about disaffection and discovery spoke to his generation, saying, "We've never had anything to fight for, so we're constantly looking for things to believe in.

[21] In 1999, Hélène de Fougerolles auditioned for the film but casting directors immediately told her that she was not mysterious enough for the character as she arrived with blond hair in pigtails.

[22] The soundtrack for the film, co-produced by Pete Tong, features the international hits "Pure Shores" by All Saints and "Porcelain" by Moby, as well as tracks by New Order, Blur, Underworld, Orbital, Faithless, Sugar Ray, and others.

[34] Critics suggested that DiCaprio's fame post-Titanic might have contributed to the financial success of this film, which came out less than three years after the James Cameron blockbuster.

CNN's Paul Clinton said "Leonardo DiCaprio's main fan base of screaming adolescent girls won't be disappointed with The Beach.

He wrote: "Watching The Beach is like experiencing a script conference where only sequences are discussed--never the whole film...There are the elements here for a romantic triangle, for a man-against-the-jungle drama, for a microcosm-of-civilization parable or for a cautionary lesson about trying to be innocent in a cruel world...and that's material for satire or insight, I guess, although the movie offers none.

"[36] In a positive review, Wesley Morris of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Despite a flat finale and some laughable hypothesizing about pursuits of liberty, the movie has its own addictive elements: well-used electronica, Darius Khondji's photography and the nonstop charisma of its star.

[39][40] Writing for The Atlantic, Joe Reid said, "Positioned squarely between the boyishness of his 1990s work and the calcified smugness of his Scorsese-and-beyond adult period, The Beach sits at a fascinating crossroads of youth and respectability for [DiCaprio].

Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state; however, lawsuits were filed by environmentalists who believed the damage to the ecosystem was permanent and restoration attempts had failed.

In 2022, the bay reopened to tourists, under strict protocols of no boats, no swimming and no more than a one-hour visit per person for a limited number of visitors at a time.

The depiction of the drug culture was said to give Thailand a bad image and having a statue of Buddha in a bar was cited as "blasphemous".

[52] In a 2019 interview with The Independent, Danny Boyle revealed that a television series based on his film has been written by Amy Seimetz.