The Beast (French: La Bête) is a 2023 science fiction romantic drama film directed and written by Bertrand Bonello from a story he co-wrote with Guillaume Bréaud and Benjamin Charbit.

A co-production between France and Canada, the film is loosely based on Henry James's 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle.

It stars Léa Seydoux and George MacKay, with Guslagie Malanda, Dasha Nekrasova, Martin Scali, Elina Löwensohn, Marta Hoskins, Julia Faure, Kester Lovelace, Félicien Pinot and Laurent Lacotte in supporting roles.

The Beast had its world premiere on 3 September 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival as part of the official competition.

Although AI is credited with saving the world by stopping climate change, it has a low opinion of humans, and deems most of them incapable of making rational decisions (or holding jobs that require advanced thought) due to their emotions.

At the AI's suggestion, one such human, Gabrielle, agrees to undergo a process to purify her DNA, which should remove her strong emotions and make her eligible for better jobs.

Between purification sessions, Gabrielle is monitored by Kelly, an android who takes her to a mysterious nightclub which periodically switches between decade-based themes (i.e., the 1960s or the 1970s).

On that earlier occasion, she confessed her lifelong private fear that some kind of horrible catastrophe would happen, an idea she constantly ruminates on.

Following an earthquake, Gabrielle approaches Louis and asks him to walk her home, but he rebuffs her, telling himself that she is merely setting him up for further humiliation.

[15] The script, loosely based on Henry James's 1903 novella The Beast in the Jungle,[17] was written by Bonello, with contributions from Guillaume Bréaud and Benjamin Charbit.

[2] The 2014 incel version of Louis was based on Elliot Rodger, a mass murderer responsible for 2014 Isla Vista killings.

[20] In June 2023, Bonello said in an interview with French magazine Paris Match that The Beast was the film he was "the most proud of today".

[16] Principal photography began in Paris on 22 August 2022,[2][25][26] with filming also taking place in Los Angeles for a couple of nights, with a small crew and with no authorisation.

The website's consensus reads: "Unwieldy but rewarding, The Beast uses its sci-fi conceit to explore intriguing themes in largely satisfying fashion.

"[38] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.