| Rare Beasts | |
| Director: | Billie Piper |
| Producer: | Vaughan Sivell |
| Cinematography: | Patrick Meller |
| Editing: | Hazel Baillie |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Gross: | $63,828[1] |
Rare Beasts is a 2019 British psychological romantic drama film written and directed by Billie Piper in her directorial debut.[2] It stars Piper, Lily James, David Thewlis, Leo Bill, Kerry Fox and Toby Woolf.
Rare Beasts premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 31 August 2019, later receiving a simultaneous release in cinemas and digitally on 21 May 2021 in the UK.
Mandy is a career-driven nihilistic single mother with a deeply disturbed son, who falls in love with a patriarchal man with rage issues named Pete.
In May 2018, it was announced Billie Piper would write, direct, and star in the film.[3] In September 2018, it was announced that principal photography had commenced, with David Thewlis, Leo Bill and Kerry Fox joining the cast of the film.[4] Filming took place in London, as well as Lloret de Mar, Catalonia, Spain.[5]
Rare Beasts had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on 31 August 2019.[6] The film later screened at the London Film Festival and the Kerry Film Festival, both in October 2019.[7] [8] The film's North American premiere was scheduled to take place at South by Southwest in March 2020, however, the festival was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
In February 2021, the film's first official trailer was released and distributor Republic Film Distribution earmarked its UK theatrical release for 7 May 2021.[10] [11] The film's release date was later revised to 21 May 2021,[12] as government lockdown restrictions on indoor cinemas were lifted from 17 May in England, Scotland and Wales.[13] The film received a limited release in 30 cinemas across the UK and was simultaneously made available to purchase and stream on Amazon Prime Video and the Google Play Store.[14] [15]
Of the 51 reviews collected by review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 71% were reported as being positive with an average rating of 6.1/10. The critics consensus reads: "Billie Piper's admirably bold directorial vision isn't quite enough to counter Rare Beasts' frustratingly shallow treatment of its weightier themes."[16]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Göteborg Film Festival Awards | Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award | Rare Beasts | ||
| SXSW Film Festival Awards | Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award | ||||
| 2022 | National Film Awards | Best Actress | Billie Piper | [17] | |
| Outstanding Performance | |||||
| Best Director |