‘Hundreds of Beavers’ is Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen

Have you ever felt like the whole world is out to get you? Well, in Stéphan Castang’s “Vincent Doit Mourir” (“Vincent Must Die”), which made its North American premiere at Fantasia Festival, it literally is the case; and they want blood.

Vincent (Karim Leklou) works a typical and uneventful office job, surrounded by coworkers whom he gets along with. One day, after a lame joke from Vincent, the new intern walks up to his desk, silent and emotionless, and proceeds to clobber him violently in the face with his laptop. Shocked, he believes that maybe it was his faint attempt at humor that set the young man off.

However, the next day, another colleague of his ruthlessly stabs at his hand with a pen in a fit of rage. Something is not right, and Vincent has realized it. Random strangers, as well as people who have always known and respected him, are relentlessly assaulting him in bizarre fashion, as if they were in a trance and won’t stop until he’s dead. He needs to make a run for it, but who can he trust? Why are they after him, specifically? Where can he go to be safe? Is there a way to stop this “curse”?

Written by Mathieu Naert and directed by Stéphan Castang (working on their first feature film), they both do a phenomenal job in ensuring that the audience’s eyebrows bounce up within the first few minutes of the film and intertwining numerous genres under the same title. You’ll find drama, horror, comedy, and even romance in “Vincent Must Die” and they all flow together in perfect harmony.

The audience will undeniably feel sorry for poor Vincent as he gets viciously attacked for no reason at all. He’ll learn to adapt his lifestyle and habits to avoid being murdered… only to have things escalate so much more. In the midst of all this chaos surrounding him, he’ll find a love interest, which, oddly enough, works incredibly well within the storyline. Margaux (Vimala Pons) leads a tumultuous lifestyle and falls upon his newly anti-social path to the greatest of his delight. It’s not because half of the population is out to slay you that you can’t stumble upon someone who makes your heart flutter, right?

Karim Leklou interprets the lead character to perfection in his introverted way of interacting with others before all Hell breaks loose and he truly does need to live as a hermit to avoid all social interactions that could prove to be fatal for him. The actor succeeds in demonstrating anxiety, fear, confusion, romance, desperation, and so much more authenticity that oozes through the screen. Vimala Pons, who interprets Margaux, shows much determination and emotional strength, while, at the same time, she has a hidden vulnerability to her character that only Vincent can help soothe and overcome when he is around. Together, onscreen, they just make it work.

As wild as the first half of the film is, the second portion continues to escalate the brutal violence and sheer carnage, not to mention a merciless and revolting altercation involving an overflowing septic tank. At times, die-hard horror fans will perceive an atmosphere similar to Quebec’s “Les Affamés” (“Ravenous”; 2017), injected with a dose of “The Crazies”, brewing together with a sprinkle of romantic comedy that just seems to flow beautifully. It’ll feel like a zombie movie without actually being one.

“Vincent Must Die” might not please everyone, as some passages may seem like they are restlessly stretching on for too long, but they are essential in demonstrating how the main character is secluding himself voluntarily from society and learning to deal with his shocking new reality. It is a conscious decision from its director, Castang, to change the pace of the film only before the drama and intensity skyrocket beyond the audience’s expectations.

During the film’s Q&A session at Fantasia, Stéphan Castang admitted that he sometimes told the two lead actors to not learn their lines for a scene and have them improvise what their characters would say when faced with certain situations, only to highlight the genuineness of their performances onscreen; and it works. With a blend of emotions, genres and rapid tempo changes, “Vincent Must Die” is a rollercoaster of a ride that will have viewers laughing, gripping their seat, and even biting their lip in emotional distress. With their first feature film, the writer/director team of Naert/Castang exceed expectations as their brilliant work is rewarded with 4 eyeballs out of 5.