May. 21, 2021|United Kingdom|87 Min.
Genre: Comedy;Drama;Romance
Description: Billie Piper’s latest project, *Rare Beasts*, echoes themes from her previous role in *I Hate Suzie*. In both, she portrays a deeply flawed woman, highlighting the pressures modern women face. Her characters challenge the expectation to be perfect “girl bosses,” instead embracing vulnerability and failure.
This theme resonates in contemporary British comedy, with creators like Michaela Coel and Phoebe Waller-Bridge also exploring messy, intimate narratives. Piper’s directorial debut, however, stands out for its frenetic and confrontational style. *Rare Beasts* follows Mandy, a working mother pushed to her limits, searching for solace in a chaotic world. The film captures the profound sense of rootlessness and existential frustration, though it sometimes feels overly confined to Mandy’s inner turmoil.
Visually, the film uses extreme close-ups to emphasize Mandy’s exhaustion and the fluidity of reality. Flashbacks, like a scene of a younger Mandy tap-dancing while her family argues,
Cast director: Billie Piper
Cast actor: Billie Piper, Lily James, David Thewlis, Kerry Fox, Leo Bill, Jonjo O’Neill, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Emily Taaffe, Montserrat Lombard, Toby Woolf
Original name: Rare Beasts