CREATURE
★★★★
OUT 24 FEBRUARY / CERT 12A / 88 MINS
DIRECTOR Asif Kapadia
CAST Jeffrey Cirio, Stina Quagebeur, Erina Takahashi
A hybrid of combustible, contemporary dance courtesy of the English National Ballet and Asif Kapadia’s unobtrusive direction, Creature is a propulsive drama set against an abandoned Arctic research station. Creature (Jeffrey Cirio) is a lonely, bottom-rung worker, subjected to brutal experiments by a doctor, and pining after a kind woman under the watch of a cruel mayor. The plot is kept loose, though with Frankenstein and Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck cited as influences, there are strong themes of otherness and the dark nature of man. Kapadia’s simple approach to filming and a stark palette keeps Creature’s focus glued to the vigorous choreography. A soulful and engaging feat in collaborative filmmaking.