BEASTLY (2011) Movie Review
Galatians 6:2-3: “Share each others burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” (NLT)
It is an interesting modern take on the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast. Kyle is a handsome young man with a superficial girlfriend, a rich father and a bad attitude. He spends his days verbally assaulting and embarrassing the downcast and less fortunate. One day, he picks on the wrong girl who casts an unreal spell on him in return. He becomes scarred and tattooed, what society would consider a freak.
Peel back the layers, and we find he is only the product of his father’s own selfish, superficial beliefs. The same father who exiles him to a secluded location as soon as he loses his physical beauty. The same father who is willing to stop at nothing to restore his appearance even at the risk of his safety. The same father who hires a blind tutor for him and a private maid.
Thus begins the most important lesson of life. His condition forces him to look at people for who they are instead of how they look. The only to break the spell is to achieve the love of a girl who can not only see past his physical appearance, but who is also worthy of his love. The only way to achieve this goal is to first strip away his father’s terrible conditioning and teach him to feel empathy and humility.
Empathy comes from experience.
It is his new found empathy that makes him fall in love with Sloan. As they spend time together, he realizes they have more in common than he thought. Stripped of his father’s conceit, it turns out they are a match made in Heaven. His real challenge is making her see that. Can she see past his mutilation into his newly discovered heart?
Actions speak louder than words. He sacrifices his hope of being restored in order to give a chance at her own goal. That is the ultimate act of love. Love is selfless. Love is not hesitating to make sacrifices. Love is to discover how petty our own desires are in comparison to the needs of others. Only by sacrificing his appearance to give Sloan a meaningful future can the spell be broken.
And it is. In his willingness to set her free, she finally professes her love for him. Not only is his outer beauty restored, but his inner self becomes just as beautiful as his outer self.
This is a lesson from which we can all learn. Our inner beauty must surpass our outer beauty. We must show others empathy, kindness, and selflessness. We are all brothers and sisters. Sooner or later, we all face hard times.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had someone in our lives on whom we can rely?
