The Beast Must Die

Que la bête meure

A grieving father sets out to murder his son’s killer, only to find the moral ground constantly shifting beneath him.

  • Director

    Claude Chabrol

  • With

    Michel Duchaussoy, Jean Yanne, Caroline Cellier, Anouk Ferjac

  • France-Italy 1969. 113min

  • Digital (restoration)

  • English subtitles

A father whose son has been killed by a hit-and-run driver sets out to identify and murder the culprit, only to find the situation considerably more complicated than revenge usually allows. Cited by Bong Joon Ho as a key influence on his Oscar-winning Parasite, The Beast Must Die is a thriller that keeps pulling the moral rug from beneath audiences’ feet, leaving them, like its protagonist, in a place of deep discomfort.

Contains scenes of graphic violence or injury and suicide.

The screening of The Beast Must Die on Thursday 17 September will be introduced by critic, lecturer and programmer Geoff Andrew.

Also available on BFI Player