Shocking! AI Ruins Love Connection in ‘The Beast’ – Is Artificial Intelligence Destroying Romance?

From the iconic image of Charlie Chaplin caught in the mechanics of industry in “Modern Times”, to James Cameron’s arresting portrayal of a future overrun by robots in “The Terminator”, audiences are continually exposed to the perceived menace of machinery. However, in his latest thought-provoking film, French writer-director Bertrand Bonello interprets these fears through a unique lens. “The Beast” presents a love story that transcends time, from past lives to future incarnations, painting a picture of everlasting unhappiness. While the film ostensibly explores the theme of artificial intelligence, its true subject matter is the terror that comes with existence.

“The Beast”, loosely adapted from Henry James’ 1903 novella “The Beast in the Jungle”, incorporates three intertwined segments, all featuring actors Léa Seydoux and George MacKay. The first part, set in 1910 Paris, introduces the character of Gabrielle (Seydoux), a woman left alone at upper-class events by her affluent husband and eventually meets Louis (MacKay), a charming Englishman who reminds her of their previous acquaintance. The subsequent narratives see the characters encountering each other again in 2014 Los Angeles and later in a dystopian Paris of 2044, with their attraction persisting despite ominous signs that their relationship is doomed.

In his past works like “Nocturama”, Bonello depicted characters seemingly numbed by their existence, their futile actions a desperate attempt to inject meaning into their meaningless lives. “The Beast” carries a similar undertone of ennui. The film opens with Bonello off-camera, instructing Seydoux in a hauntingly vacant green-screen studio, describing what the final shot will entail. This scene, striking in its artificiality, comments on the inauthentic nature of our CGI-dominated contemporary cinema. It also sets the tone of unease that pervades “The Beast”, the title alluding to an unidentified force Gabrielle fears will bring about her ruin.

The sense of unease is further intensified in the 2044 segment, where Gabrielle chooses to have her emotions erased – a common practice in the film’s bleak, AI-dictated future. Bonello critiques science fiction clichés through the use of stark minimalist architecture and subdued performances. However, the earlier narratives can also be seen as playing on well-known genres, with the 1910 segment presenting a rich portrayal of period romances and the 2014 storyline evolving into a philosophical horror film. The continuous sunshine of Los Angeles is an ironic backdrop to both Gabrielle’s failed attempt at stardom and Louis’ misogynistic video rants targeting women who refuse to date him, with his attention now focused on Gabrielle. (In a chilling addition, Bonello and MacKay include real testimonies from Elliot Rodger, a misogynist responsible for the 2014 Santa Barbara killings.)

The film’s opening with green-screen and its unconventional end credits – which require scanning a QR code to view – express disdain for our approaching digital reality. Bonello suggests that the process of dehumanization takes place in a multitude of more nuanced ways. Whether it’s the unrequited longing between Gabrielle and Louis in the Belle Époque era Paris or the 2014 Louis’ dark obsession with Gabrielle, the director highlights the everyday situations that erode our connections to one another – how we constantly suppress our true emotions to avoid experiencing pain. The Louis of Los Angeles is a monster born out of rejection, while the 1910 Gabrielle belatedly recognizes where her heart truly lies. The 2044 characters considering the elimination of their emotions is just the latest manifestation of the soul-crushing activities they’ve always indulged in.

The film’s David Lynch-like surrealism and daring temporal shifts, despite occasional narrative diversions, are enhanced by the performances of the two lead actors. Seydoux, a regular in Bonello’s films, is equally convincing as a member of the Parisian elite in 1910 and as a struggling actress in Los Angeles a century later. A sense of romantic disillusionment pervades the film, made even more poignant by the fact that Bonello initially wanted Gaspard Ulliel (the lead of Bonello’s “Saint Laurent”) to play Louis before the actor’s premature death in 2022. MacKay, who learned French for the role to avoid comparisons with Ulliel, whom the film honors, is outstanding in a challenging role.

The genteel Louis of the first segment is starkly different from the misogynistic character in the Los Angeles narrative, presenting two contrasting images of frustrated lovers. Is this threatening misogynist the beast destined to consume Gabrielle? Or is the beast the constant threat of AI? While Bonello leaves these questions open, the film ultimately suggests a disturbing conclusion: perhaps there is no external beast – perhaps our fear of experiencing intense emotions is what truly dooms us. Gabrielle’s worries about her Los Angeles stalker or a dystopian future are unnecessary. We are, bit by bit, our own worst enemies.