Page

Beautiful Beings

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Watch trailer

01:55

Beautiful Beings

Save

Summary

A boy raised by a clairvoyant mother takes a bullied kid into his gang of violent outsiders. Writer/director Guomundur Arnar Guomundsson's coming-of-age drama, starring Birgir Dagur Bjarkason and Askell Einar Palmason. In Icelandic, with English subtitles

Ad

Powered By

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Dave Golder

Four teenage boys in early noughties Reykjavík navigate a world of drugs, sex and urban violence in this gritty Icelandic coming-of-age drama. Bug-loving Balli (Askell Einar Pálmason) lives in a squalid house with his rarely present mum and is routinely a target for bullies. After one attack leaves him with a broken nose, he's accepted into a gang of misfits who introduce him to girls, chemical highs, and gang warfare. Plus, one of Balli's new mates could be psychic. This scuzzy mix of social realism, homoeroticism and fabulism often feels like a weird missing link between Stand by Me and Trainspotting. It slightly falls down in examining the causes for violence - unlike Netflix's Adolescence and other similar dramas that seek to make sense of teen male aggression, Beautiful Beings doesn't go much deeper than "violence breeds violence". The all-pervasive filth, decay and sordidness can leave you cringing at times (especially during two canine bodily fluids moments) but this is offset by strong, likeable performances from the kids and some gorgeous cinematography.

imdb-square

7.3/10

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Cast

rolenameAddiBirgir Dagur BjarkasonBalliAskell Einar PálmasonKonniViktor Benony BenediktssonSiggiSnorri Rafn FrímannssonGudrúnAnita Briem

Show more

Crew

rolenameDirectorGudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson

Details

Languages

Icelandic

Guidance

Violence, swearing, sexual references, drug abuse

Formats

Colour

Ad

Ad

Ad