Rare Beasts (2019)

Great Romantic Drama with a Difference - Rare Beasts review by GI

This is a quirky, psychological drama about modern relationships and it's an inspired idea written, directed and starring Billie Piper. In many ways this is a film that plays like an anti romcom, it's darkly funny but treats relationships with a sense of contemporary acceptance rather than a cutesy pie love story. Piper plays Mandy, a single mother with a difficult son, who lives with her cantankerous mother (Kerry Fox). Her dad (David Thewlis) is still around too although he's separated from her mum but steadfastly refuses to leave or indeed contribute to the household all the while saving to move to Thailand. Mandy has a boring job at a media company where she spends her days in meetings where crap ideas are discussed. She accepts life as a meaningless struggle and goes son a date with fellow worker, Pete (Leo Bill), a religious, pompous man who tells her he knows what women really need and want. Mandy proceeds with a relationship with Pete and it comes with a whole host of issues. He's truly awful but in an almost self torturing way Mandy gives it her all. This is exhilarating and clever filmmaking that shuns the typical romantic themed drama, it'll make you laugh and gasp but it's well worth checking out. Lily James cameos in a wedding scene that is a typical romcom one but goes in a completely surprising direction. Recommended.