Film Review: BEHEMOTH!: Pedro Pascal is Great in a Truly Original, Often Successful, Film [NYFF 2026]

Behemoth! Review

Behemoth! (2026) Film Review from the 64th Annual New York Film Festival, a movie written and directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Will Arnett, Matthew Lillard, Alia Shawkat, Hank Azaria, Margarita Levieva, Zlatko Buric, Thomas Kretschmann, JoBeth Williams, Barry Livingston, Stephanie Sigman, Kathleen York, Adam Rose, Gattlin Griffith, Alexa Swinton and Max Adler.

Filmmaker Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! is an excellent example of a movie that doesn’t follow any rules or formulas, but works many times over, thanks to the commitment of a terrific, underrated actor, Pedro Pascal. Alex Serian, Pacal’s character, is flawed, yet respectable, and the movie navigates his life as one unfortunate event follows another. This is not a downer, though. It’s a story about how to keep music in your life, even when things seem like they may not be able to work out as they were once expected to. There’s one constant in Alex’s life: His love for music, which is demonstrated by the way he carries and plays his cello.

This film’s main storyline opens with the Alex character trying to flee from a beautifully “wild” woman, Carol Spedding (Olivia Wilde in a scene-stealing turn). Alex is soon the victim of a car accident with his beloved cello by his side. It is said that the driver of the vehicle has died by a medical professional (Alia Shawkat) tending to Alex. You see, Alex is at a crossroads in his life. A middle-aged musician who is going through something of a mid-life crisis, Pascal never ceases to amaze in a wonderful performance. In fact, Pascal could sneak in the back door of the Oscars, and wind up securing the Best Actor slot that was originally poised for Tom Cruise (Digger).

Behemoth! is in the vein of Tuner from earlier this year, but it’s not violent like that movie ended up being. Describing the plot of Behemoth! isn’t something that should be done in great detail because of the surprising, unconventional ways that the storyline takes flight. Pascal is something of a genius in terms of how he creates his character in this movie, and it’s easy to understand his family dynamics and the reasons why music seems to dictate certain aspects of his life.

Wilde is humorous at times in her over-the-top part in this film. A very funny late scene involves Will Arnett’s brother character, Andy, and Wilde’s Carol that is actually quite funny, especially given the way these secondary characters seem to think that Pascal’s Alex cares more than he actually does about Wilde’s Carol in terms of her being a romantic partner for himself.

Behemoth! is unconventional with a capital ‘U.’ Rarely do movies that feature love stories explore dilemmas that are analyzed in this film. This film loves music and the people that create it, and the picture often features instrumental music in the background that serves to define the characters in the new picture. That is much better than pop songs trying to do the same thing in movies, if you ask me.

Eva Victor has a surprising role in Behemoth!, playing the very intriguing character, Nadia, who sort of serves as a romantic interest for Pascal’s Alex. Nadia and Alex have a connection that plays out a lot more successfully than it could have if it wasn’t in Gilroy’s assured hands as a writer and a director. JoBeth Williams serves as Alex’s ailing mother in a strong return to the screen for the formidable 1980’s actress. Meanwhile, Hank Azaria hits a home run as the unconventional dad, Peter, who is shown in flashback sequences within the picture.

Whether deciding with a sibling how to bury a parent or deciding what choices to make regarding his future, Alex is wildly unpredictable in ways that makes him surprisingly centered and deserving of good things, whatever it is that he decides to pursue in his life. A possibility that he could be a young girl’s dad leads to a paternity test late in the proceedings, but that’s more than you should know about the plot at this stage in the movie’s release.

There is a brilliant concluding scene to the picture where Alex and his cello are hand-picked by a key young girl to help spice up the musical piece this girl is working on. This scene is pure poetry in a film full of wisdom and earnest sincerity about the true nature of and messiness of life. This film does intensify scenes through the use of music and does so in an effective way, for sure.

Pascal is a natural born actor whose ability to inhabit this role is extraordinary. There is some romance and some companionship he experiences from others, but he is often a loner, who seems to be consoled by the demands of his career, which could be overwhelming at certain key intervals within the plot. Could he change if he discovered he had a daughter? That’s the question the movie leaves with the viewer near the end and the film answers the question in a surprising way.

Behemoth! is brilliant and unapologetic in the way it avoids a traditional resolve. This movie is more of a slice-of-life from the lead character’s point-of-view than a film trying to work as a love story or a piece dissecting the bigger picture of life. Gilroy has added another memorable film to his career highlight thus far, Michael Clayton, and this new picture is equally as strong as a dramatic picture. This movie is highly recommended.

Rating: 8.5/10

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