‘Creature’ Review – London Film Festival – Deadline

Director Asif Kapadia makes slick work of Akram Khan’s ballet in Creature, which world premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Based on Khan’s original concept and choreography, the English National Ballet Production is produced by Uzma Hasan for Little House Productions, and brings an intense cinematic sensibility to the bleak story exploring power, nature, connection and more. 

Taking center stage as the Creature is the extraordinary Jeffrey Cirio, who went on to star in the stage production which was delayed due to the pandemic. He twists and slinks across the set with a performance that’s both animalistic and tenderly humane. The setting is a former Arctic research station, where Creature has been brought to be experimented upon by a Doctor (Stina Quagebeur). A cleaner, Marie (Erina Takahashi), catches his eye, and also that of the Major (Fabian Reimair), a stern presence in a swooshing military coat. As Creature and Marie grow closer, the peril increases. 

The parallels with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein are clear, and the story also takes inspiration from Georg Büchner’s tragedy Woyzeck, about a soldier stationed in a provincial town. But there is also an aspect of apocalyptic sci-fi: there’s a suggestion that this may be one of the last inhabitable places on earth, and that Creature’s resilience to harsh environments might hold the key to survival. The characters sometimes point to the sky, suggesting that an alien planet is their only hope. 

While the set-up is clarified by reading the film’s synopsis, the diverse cast and crew do a terrific job of communicating the story through expressive choreography and acting as well as staging, lighting, editing and sound. While none of the performers speak, the occasional whispered phrase is heard in audio, performed by Andy Serkis, and the film opens with the audio of Richard Nixon’s telephone call to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin after they landed on the moon. Images of space travel flit into the frame, and the screen flickers when Creature suffers from painful episodes. Meanwhile, the contemporary score from Vincenzo Lamagna reflects the characters’ unease and at one point pays homage to Ravel’s “Bolero,” as if only precious pieces of a harmonious past remain. 

Despite the theatrical single setting, Kapadia and cinematographer Daniel Landin take us closer to the characters than would be possible in a theater, and this is where the film of Creature really comes into its own. Close-ups of the performers’ faces help color their characters and their emotions, from Creature’s adoration of Marie to the Doctor’s conflicted reaction to the Major’s behavior. Meanwhile Marie is a tragic figure who invites sympathy, and whose moments of joy are sure to be short-lived. As the Major’s actions escalate, the story invites reflection on power dynamics, bullying, abuse and moral responsibility. 

Creature is a bittersweet love story that allows the viewer to fill in the blanks with their own imaginations. While clearly aimed at a thoughtful arthouse crowd, it succeeds in making dance feel accessible and intimate. When this comes to theaters in February, Kapadia may well achieve his aim of bringing new audiences to dance, as well as ballet fans to the cinema.