Creature

Our first glimpse of the creature is an obscured shot of his contorted body, shrouded in darkness, fingernails burrowing into skin. Played by American ballet dancer Jeffrey Cirio, the creature makes sharp movements, creating uncanny shapes with the angles of his arms and legs, yet still maintaining an undeniable grace and fluidity. These two opposing forces set Cirio apart from the others in the dance company, who perform elegant arcs in symmetric unison, neat tin soldiers with a beautiful geometry in their movement. Cirio’s performance anchors the film, which sits at the complicated intersection of theatricality and reality.

Directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Asif Kapadia and choreographed by Akram Khan, Creature is based on the German play Woyzeck by Georg Büchner and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The source material offers a lens through which to read the largely poetic narrative. Although the finer points of plot are not laid bare, the story contains enough formal conventions for an audience unfamiliar with nineteenth century theatre to understand: a good guy, a bad guy, a love interest, a clear conflict, a tragic ending. There is an accessibility to this film, which characterises much of Kapadia’s work; however, it sits at a somewhat awkward middle ground between film and theatre. 

When Creature does work, it is breathtaking; Cirio shares an undeniable chemistry with the principal female lead, Marie, played by dancer Erina Takahashi. When the two are dancing together, the camera follows the electricity of their movement in the wide shot; the intensity of their expressions in the close up. The film features no dialogue, only the occasional godlike narration of Andy Serkis, and yet Takahashi only needs body language to communicate the nuance of fear, regret, rebellion. Dance ultimately serves as sublimation for trauma, abuse, rage, desire, mourning. At times, it feels as if simply watching a filmed stage production – however, the visceral expression of these themes by the film’s tremendous dancers makes it worthwhile.

Carly Mattox is a film writer and programmer currently based in London. A card-carrying M. Night Shyamalan apologist, she enjoys writing about horror, period pieces, and dance on film.

Creature is in UK cinemas on February 24, 2023. Check back here for more Breakout reviews.