Dominik Moll’s intriguing film “The Magic of the Beast” is released in Minsk as part of the project “Listapad. Collection”. The film, balancing on the edge of drama, thriller and even comedy, will be shown at the Belarus cinema from July 23 to August 8 and at the Falcon Club Boutique Cinema from July 30 to August 12. The Belarusian premiere of “The Magic of the Beast” took place at the 26th Minsk International Film Festival “Listapad” in the non-competition programme “Midnight Passions”.
In the vicinity of an alpine village, in the midst of a blizzard, a wealthy Parisian woman, Evelyn Duca, disappears. Five people are unexpectedly involved in this mysterious incident, each with its own “skeleton in the closet”: an anxious farmer and his unfaithful wife, a young waitress suffering from unrequited love, a local social outcast and a young African swindler who never left his homeland and concluded a frightening union with the evil spirits.
Director Dominik Moll is a two-time nominee for Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, he presented his new work “The Magic of the Beast”, based on the novel by Colin Neal. Dominik Moll found the text absolutely cinematic: “When I read Colin Neal’s novel, I immediately immersed myself in its unique atmosphere and quickly figured out how to adapt it for the screen. The conflict of the first stories, which intersect, complement, but also contradict each other, awakens the reader’s attention and leads us to the idea of what is hidden in the dark corners of the story, creating a disturbing atmosphere”.
Last year participant of the Venice Film Festival and nominee for the Cesar Prize revives the long-forgotten genre of mystical detectives. As the Guardian’s journalist Peter Bradshaw emphasizes: “The film parts intertwine like the parts of a complex and sinister music box to create melodrama, erotic obsession, and even a soap opera – all beautifully performed”.
“The Magic of the Beast” can be called a crime drama with a fascinating plot and non-linear scenario, the multi-leveledness of which becomes apparent to the viewer only towards the end of the film. The author’s style – a mixture of realism and mysticism – is complemented by the raising of acute social themes, which makes this film remarkable and relevant.
The project “Listapad. Collection” is organized by Visual and Performing Arts Centre “ART Corporation”. Within the framework of the project, the most remarkable films are shown, collected from the programmes of the world’s largest festivals.
“Listapad. Collection” invites you to seize the moment and return to the cinema halls, where everything is organized in order to keep the distance. We advise you to take precautions and make your movie visit not only enjoyable, but also safe.