The Beach

UK Release Date. 11 February 2000
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 59 mins
Director. Danny Boyle
Cast. Guillaume Canet, Robert Carlyle, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paterson Joseph, Virginie Ledoyen, Tilda Swinton.
Rating. 68%

Review.

I have a fair amount of affection for Alex Garland's debut novel, The Beach. Having never been a prodigious consumer of fiction in my youth, The Beach is one of the few books I remember reading in my twenties. Imagine my delight at the time when it was announced that the triumvirate behind Shallow Grave and Trainspotting - Danny Boyle, John Hodge and Andrew Macdonald - were scheduled to produce the film adaptation.

A nostalgic rewatch of the film this week reminded me that The Beach is nowhere near the car crash it is often said to be. Instead, The Beach is fresh, effervescent and self-consciously hip, perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of the end of the 1990s.

Leonardo DiCaprio is Richard, a typical self-absorbed, American backpacker in search of an authentic travel experience in Thailand. As he says in narration, "something more beautiful, something more exciting, and yes, I admit, something more dangerous." He hears of an almost mythical, perfect, unspoilt beach, home to an international, backpacker community; but the hedonistic dream almost inevitably turns into a nightmare. 

The film's visuals are impressive. Boyle and cinematographer Darius Khondji employ some imaginative techniques - including time-lapse photography and light trails. Although the less said about the now infamous sequence where Richard appears to be running within a video game, the better. A sensational soundtrack plays a large part in maintaining the film's pace and features tracks from the likes of Blur, New Order, Faithless, Leftfield, Asian Dub Foundation, Moby and All Saints. 

However, the film loses focus around the mid-point, when Richard is exiled from the community and forced to spend time alone on the hill. His breakdown is nowhere near as interesting as his relationship with Francoise and the rest of the beach community and Boyle seems to let proceedings drift along aimlessly for a while.

But in the final dramatic showdown between Richard and Sal (Tilda Swinton), the film redeems itself - although those who have read Alex Garland's book may disagree. 

"And me? I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something. And if you find that moment... it lasts forever."