The Beach (2000)
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A young American backpacker and a French couple discover a hidden community on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand.
The story
Richard, a young American backpacker seeking adventure in Bangkok, meets a French couple and a mentally unstable Scottish traveler who tells him of a pristine, uninhabited island in the Gulf of Thailand with a beautiful hidden beach. After learning that the traveler died and left him a map, Richard convinces the couple to join him on a journey to find the island. They travel to Ko Samui and eventually reach the island, where they find a community of people living in secret. Richard must navigate the complexities of this hidden society while dealing with his growing feelings for Françoise and the dangers posed by the local environment and the secrets of the island's inhabitants.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Richard, an American backpacker, finds a map to a hidden beach in the Gulf of Thailand from a deceased traveler. He travels there with a French couple, Françoise and Étienne. They reach the island and join a secret community of travelers led by Sal. Richard becomes involved in a romantic affair with Françoise, which is discovered by the community. During a supply run, Richard encounters two American surfers who also have a map to the island. Tensions rise when a fisherman is injured by a shark; the community refuses to let him leave for medical help to protect their secret. Meanwhile, the surfers reach the island and are killed by local farmers. Richard eventually smothers the injured fisherman to end his suffering and decides to leave the island with the couple. They are captured by the farmers, who give Sal a choice: kill Richard or the community must leave. Sal fires an empty gun, and the community members abandon her and leave the island. The film ends with Richard receiving a nostalgic photo from Françoise.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Danny Boyle
- Writers
- John Hodge · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Richard; Tilda Swinton · Sal; Virginie Ledoyen · Françoise; Guillaume Canet · Étienne; Robert Carlyle · Daffy; Paterson Joseph · Keaty; Lars Arentz-Hansen · Bugs; Daniel Caltagirone · Unhygienix
- Genres
- adventure; drama
- Themes
- escapism; isolation; the cost of secrecy
- Tone and mood
- atmospheric; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- adventure; survival; hidden community
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1996 novel by Alex Garland
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on the island of Ko Phi Phi Le.; The map in the film was illustrated by the novel's author, Alex Garland.; The film's soundtrack features several international hits and was co-produced by Pete Tong.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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