With a lunar eclipse looming, a young woman feels a beast awaken inside of her.
Bogotá, 1996. People suspect that the upcoming lunar eclipse will spawn the devil. Thirteen-year-old Mila has other worries – the stares of the men around her are starting to feel increasingly insistent. Is this because of the way her body is changing? As the fateful day approaches, an outburst becomes inevitable.
In Colombian Camila Beltrán’s feature film debut, sexual awakening takes the form of an inner beast rearing its head. Beltrán chooses to stay close to Mila; the world is seen and felt through her perspective. The strict school rules, the men watching her in the streets, the empty home without parents, the radio reports of missing teenage girls – all these elements contribute to a stifling, threatening atmosphere. But when the eruption comes, it’s still unexpected. Mi bestia is an intimate, intense film about identity and inner transformation.
