REVIEW: ‘Belle’ offers unique take on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ tale
Photo: Andrea Snædal stars as the title character in Belle. Photo courtesy of Level 33 Entertainment / Provided by dominion3 with permission.
The Beauty and the Beast tale has generated many different cinematic interpretations over the years, including the stellar animated movie from Disney. Now cinephiles have a chance to catch another version of the “tale as old as time” with the new movie Belle, written and directed by Max Gold. The film, which is now playing in theaters and available on VOD on Aug. 22, is centered on Andrea Snædal’s title character, a woman who is determined to help her father by finding a remedy to his ailments. Standing in her way is a domineering, violent man (Ingi Hrafn Hilmarsson), who is a beast in more ways than one. Of course, as this time-weathered story goes, the beast can only become human again if he finds true love, so it’s quite fitting that Belle shows up looking for assistance for her father.
The bare-bones story is present and accounted for; there’s even a rose at the center of the narrative, which is reminiscent of earlier versions of this tale. What sets Belle apart though is its sweeping vistas of the verdant countryside in Iceland, where the film was shot. These characters are surrounded by breathtaking and mysterious beauty, which helps to heighten the drama, romance and horror.
Gold takes the story in different directions, including one elongated scene involving an older couple who live by themselves in a tucked-away cabin. It’s a beautifully rendered sequence that allows Belle and the beast to see what married life is like when one’s a bit older and wiser. But this being a romantic horror film, the horror is never too far away — it often comes out of nowhere and is quite shocking. Kudos to Gold for keeping everything unexpected.
The performances by Snædal and Hilmarsson are stellar. They are repulsed by each other, fall in love with each other and then question their desires, and everything they do and feel is believable. It’s a fitting exploration of two characters inextricably tied together, even when they would rather not be.
Belle doesn’t reinvent the Beauty and the Beast story completely, and sometimes the drama in this 92-minute feature can drag a bit. There are also a few cinematic cliches that work their way into the narrative (when a character coughs, it usually means a bad illness), but still the movie works, better than expected. Level 33 Entertainment’s feature film can be bloody good, never resorting to cheap thrills or easy outcomes.
Belle is a stirring horror film that leans toward the romantic, featuring solid performances and expertly shot landscapes. It’s worth a watch.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Belle (2023). Written and directed by Max Gold. Starring Andrea Snædal and Ingi Hrafn Hilmarsson. Running time: 92 minutes. Rating: 
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