Over the course of the last decade, Pedro Pascal solidified himself as a household name. So, it’s hard to believe that he has never headlined a movie solo until now.
Behemoth!, which closed the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival, allows Pascal to take center stage with a role that demands a lot. Thankfully, he is more than up to the task.
Pascal plays Alex Serian, a renowned cellist returning home to Los Angeles to work as a session musician recording film scores. Each piece of music that Alex plays activates a memory, causing him to revisit the moments that led him to where he is today.
Structurally, writer and director Tony Gilroy takes a big swing. As Alex in the present day plays through whatever score is being recorded, we flashback to various, pivotal points in his life. The various scores intertwine past and present.
The film moves like a memory. Flashes of a moment intrude upon the day-to-day almost out of nowhere. As it washes over you, though, the memory becomes vivid and tactile.
This structure doesn’t always work. Sometimes, the timelines become a bit murky and it becomes difficult to keep track of where we are on Alex’s personal journey. We are trusted to piece together the context as each memory unfurls but it’s not always as clear as it can be.
Once you settle into the film’s rhythm, though, it becomes a rewarding experience about a tortured artist grappling with legacy and the walls he hides behind. Specifically, Gilroy raises the stakes in the final twenty minutes, delivering an emotionally satisfying conclusion that feels earned.
Alex is quite an interesting character. He’s mythic in a way, carrying a reputation that proceeds him both personally and professionally. Alex lives behind walls and makes as little of himself known as possible but pulls people into his orbit effortlessly.
Pascal is given a difficult task with an “unknowable” character like Alex, but rises to the occasion. He approaches the material with an understated ease; he’s quiet, observant. Yet, he fills every corner of the room and commands the space with a magnetizing presence.
Pascal’s eyes deserve an Oscar nomination of their own. Despite Alex’s stoic nature, his tortured soul practically spills out of Pascal’s wide, expressive eyes. His most impressive moments happen when he is silently responding and taking in his scene partner.
Gilroy assembles a top notch ensemble around Pascal. However, some of the secondary characters, particularly the women, feel a bit underwritten and crumble beneath the structure. Eva Victor particularly feels undeserved by the role, though their screen presence and chemistry with Pascal is engrossing.
Olivia Wilde continues her stellar year as Alex’s ex-lover, Carol. Despite some shortcomings in the writing, Wilde is given just enough to sink her teeth into and inject her signature electricity into the role.
As cliche as it sounds, the score feels like its own character. It’s so ingrained in the fabric of the film, operating in a truly exhilarating way. Composed by nine different artists known as the Behemoth! Collective, the music oscillates between diegetic pieces for the fictional films Alex works on and actually uplifting the scenarios of Alex’s actual life and memories.
Each piece of the score injects a different energy into the film. One sequence almost feels pulled out of a spy thriller, but it never feels out of place in the actual film or at odds with the other compositions. Gilroy’s decision brilliantly showcases how music can put a print on our own personal lives regardless of the original intent.
Gilroy’s return to the big screen isn’t a perfect film by any means. However, it’s emotionally resonant and effective.
He understands the reverberations of art from conception to consumption. Behemoth! is a story about a tortured artist putting the pieces back together via the music that permeates his life and infiltrates his memories.
In reassembling the shards, Alex is able to finally connect through the very thing his life revolves around. So much of his life has been only focused on the music, but he’s never allowed it to facilitate connection.
Behemoth! is a winding, twisting road. It’s not always clear where it’s going and sometimes the detour gets frustrating. When you arrive at your destination, though, it’s so satisfying.
Behemoth! hits theaters December 4th.
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Adam Patla
Adam grew up less than 3 minutes away from a movie theater so he was always destined to love all things entertainment. He studied Broadcast & Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University before working as a talent agent in the Chicago area until 2020. During lockdown he began discussing film and television on TikTok where he cultivated a platform of over 50,000 followers. He is currently a member of Chicago Indie Critics.