TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2022 REVIEW! Dramatic feature Three Headed Beast is the story of the joys and sorrows of a bisexual polyamorous relationship. Nina (Dani Hurtado) and Peter (Jacob Shatz) are heterosexual partners, but they are both also bisexual, and the relationship is open. They have erotic encounters with others as part of their arrangement. Peter has a regular boyfriend, Alex (Cody Shook). Nina has friends with benefits, but no one she has as strong a bond within her outside relationships as Peter does with Alex.
The film has almost no dialogue, and nearly all of the story is told in movement and body language, backed by an extraordinary soundtrack mix of classical-style piano and pop tunes as well. It becomes clear soon enough that Peter is ambivalent about his life situation but seems reluctant to make the break with Nina to be with Alex full time.
“… they are both also bisexual and the relationship is open…”
Nina, of course, senses something is wrong between them and is seen dealing with her own uncertainty and sadness. The film’s pivotal moments come when Peter and Nina invite Alex to a dinner party. The couple is planning a hiking trip, and Alex has agreed to look after their dog while they are away, but Nina wants to meet Alex first. Alex arrives for the awkward dinner, where each of them must discover their own place in the new triple dynamic. This is also the only part of the film with actual sustained dialogue. All three attempt to make the situation pleasant for everyone, which only amplifies their discomfort. The effort to stabilize the three-way affair backfires, leaving each of them more uncertain about what the future will bring. As with all relationships, the party with the least emotional investment has all the power; in this case, that’s Peter. Both Alex and Nina seem to cling tightly to Peter while he is left to decide whether and how to act.
After the dinner and onto the hiking trip, the dialogue is gone again, and the film is back to the lively soundtrack and knowing facial expressions. The lack of dialogue is a hard adjustment and often seems forced. It becomes an intrusion in the natural flow of observing people interact when they are clearly trying hard not to speak. That pulls the viewer out of the moment. The positive aspect of this experimental approach is that the viewer has time to see more of the shot and to really get lost in the emotion of the moment without having to parse the language of spoken lines. It’s arguably a worthwhile trade-off.
Three Headed Beast screened st the 2022 Tribeca Festival.
Source : https://filmthreat.com/reviews/three-headed-beast/