Beast Beast
Director: Danny Madden Run Time: 85 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2021
Starring: Courtney Dietz, Jose Angeles, Shirley Chen, Will Madden
Country: United States
Language: English
Presented in the Virtual Screening Room in partnership with Vanishing Angle.
“An unsettling feature exploration of adolescence, performance, and identity.”
About the film:
Official Selection of SXSW 2020 and Sundance Film Festival. Debut feature from writer-director Danny Madden based on his award-winning short film.
In a quiet southern town, popular and charismatic theatre kid Krista finds herself increasingly drawn to Nito, the new student in her high school who catches her attention with his impressive skating videos. The two share an easy rapport and quickly grow close. Unbeknownst to her, their lives and that of her gun-loving neighbor, Adam, will soon become intertwined—until they reach a breaking point.
About the filmmakers:
Danny Madden grew up making movies with friends and family under the moniker “Ornana.” He was featured in Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2012, after (Notes on) Biology won the short animation prize at SXSW. His frequent collaborators include his brother Will and filmmaker Jim Cummings, for whom Danny was the trusted Creative Director on Thunder Road (2018).
Madden has directed award-winning Vimeo staff picks, including the passionate vignette Krista, which he developed into his debut feature film Beast Beast. Learn more in an Interview by Micah Va Hove for No Film School with Madden and his brother Will on their creative processes, including Will’s portrayal of a gun vlogger in the film.