Behemoth!

From Viennale

Alex (Pedro Pascal), the amiable yet elusive hero of BEHEMOTH!, Tony Gilroy’s hotly anticipated new drama, seems most at peace when he’s looking at sheet music or ensconced in the sonic world of his headphones. He’s even more at ease when playing the cello, the instrument around which his life revolves as a professional musician who splits his time between various gigs—orchestral scoring sessions, live quartet and symphony performances—that have taken him all over the country over the past 20 years. Shifting fluidly between past and present, the film is anchored to Alex’s return to his hometown of Los Angeles, where his harpist mother is nearing the end of her life, his rock-and-roller brother (Will Forte) is on the precipice of financial ruin and his unhinged ex-lover (Olivia Wilde) appears at random, eager to stir the pot. Meanwhile, memories of another former lover (Eva Victor) resurface as Alex tracks the growing success of a prodigious teen composer. From the director of MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007), this elegantly conceived, wryly serendipitous drama also boasts a significant side of sex appeal, capitalising on Pascal’s heartthrob status while also pushing the actor into one of his most beautifully controlled and sensitive performances to date. (Beatrice Loayza)