Countries: Austria, France | Category: Fiction | Year of production: 2023 | Duration: 104’ | In French with Ukrainian and English subtitles

What is the film about?

The Beast in the Jungle is the free adaptation of one of Henry James’ novellas. For many years, the main characters, May and John, have met in the same nameless Parisian club, owned by mystical Beatrice Dahl. Their meetings are shrouded in the mysterious expectations of something that sooner or later should happen. Meanwhile, the years go by, disco changes to techno, the leftists come to power, the AIDS epidemic rages, the Berlin Wall falls, and the tragedy on September 11 alternates the world forever.

Why is it a must-see?

Director Patrick Chiha invites the viewer to go on a nostalgic-melancholy journey that covers the period from 1979 to the early 2000s. The expectations that the main characters are associated with, contrast the hedonistic dream of other visitors to the club who choose life at the moment, here-and-now. And while they indulge in simple human passions on the dance floor, May and John, like ghosts, wander the club that became purgatory for them.

About the director

Patrick Chiha is an Austrian director and screenwriter with Hungarian and Lebanese roots. His debut feature film "Domain" was shown at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. His filmography also includes two documentaries "Brothers of the Night" and "If It Were Love", which have premiered in Berlin. The latter received the Teddy Award in 2020 for Best Documentary.

 Festivals

Berlin Film Festival, Panorama Section, 2023

FICUNAM International Cinema Festival (Mexico), 2023

Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film (Austria), 2023