‘Behemoth!’ review: Pedro Pascal is terrific as a troubled cellist but Tony Gilroy drama doesn’t hit all the right notes

Dir/scr: Tony Gilroy. USA. 2026. 127mins

Elite professional cellist Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal) has moved back to LA after two decades away, returning to session work for movie scores (one of which is codenamed ‘Behemoth’). As Alex attempts to settle back into LA life, reconnecting with his older brother and caring for his ailing mother, Behemoth! flashes back over the past 25 years, charting the personal and professional decisions that have led Alex to this point. Pascal gives a terrific performance as a tortured creative soul who finds music to be the only constant in his life, but the narrative often succumbs to cliché and proves too fragmented to make a lasting emotional impact.

 Pascal handles the cello and the film’s rich variety of music with practiced, believable ease

Pascal and co-star Olivia Wilde (in a small role) will be the biggest draws for Behemoth!, which premieres in New York before moving onto further festivals including London and releasing in the US and UK on December 5. Audiences may also be intrigued by the return to the big screen of Michael Clayton writer/director Tony Gilory, who last directed The Bourne Legacy in 2012 and created TV hit Andor. Pascal may fete some awards attention, but otherwise emphasis is likely to be on the music – undoubtedly the film’s biggest strength.

Comparisons to the thematically similar Tar and Maestro (both of which secured multiple Oscar nominations) are obvious – but whereas Cate Blanchette’s eponymous composer-conductor and Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein were driven by their talent to a monstrous degree, Alex is more of a slave to it. Alex comes from Hollywood musical royalty: his grandfather was a legendary musician who died in the studio; his late father Peter (Hank Azaria, seen in home movies) a composer; his mother Ginnie (JoBeth Williams) a celebrated harpist; his brother Andrew (Will Arnett) a former rock star. There’s a sense that Alex’s life is a path less chosen, more dictated – there are mentions of a difficult childhood, of parents who cracked the whip – but, nevertheless, Alex is a passionate, natural player. All credit to Pascal for putting in the training; he handles the cello and the film’s rich variety of music with practiced, believable ease.

As we discover in the first of many disorienting chronological segues, Alex’s move back to LA was prompted not only by Ginnie’s dementia, but also because of a love affair gone sour. Sleeping with billionaire’s wife Carol Spedding (Wilde) was certainly not Alex’s greatest idea – not only is she one of the most important benefactors to the Chicago Symphony, but she proves to be something of a stalker. Wilde throws herself admirably into the character, whose rampant lust for Alex seems to overshadow her self-respect, but this woman scorned is a sharp, thankless role. And while Alex’s casual discarding of her seems rather callous, the film frames him as something of a victim – literally, when he flees her advances in a cab which then crashes.

Indeed, the flashbacks are, for a large part, populated by women throwing themselves at Alex, seemingly unable to resist his talent and undeniable charisma. In Dallas, 2010, he begins a romance with violinist Nadia Hynes (a sympathetic Eva Victor), who breaks off the relationship to marry another billionaire, Dennis Glenn (Matthew Lillard) – but then it’s 2016 and Alex is attending Nadia’s funeral, where he encounters her young daughter, Viviana, a piano prodigy. He also uses the occasion to sleep with Nadia’s old (married) college roommate, with whom he has a sexual history.

In present-day LA, however, Alex seems to have moved from lothario to nurturer; his relationships with the women he encounters take on a different tone. He cares for his mother, mentors promising young cellist Bronte (Kaya Ralles) and takes a creative interest in now 15-year-old Viviana (now played by Alexa Swinton). Has he grown up, has he mellowed with age or has he been worn down by bitter experience? Whatever the reason, these segments are more rewarding, giving Pascal and his female co-stars the opportunity to explore interactions and dynamics that move beyond the obvious.

Also deeply rewarding is the film’s world of orchestras and recording studios, which give an insider’s look into the little-seen world of movie music. Nine established composers (together called The Behemoth! Collective) were brought in to give the cues heard in the film their own differing personalities, and to create the fictional music made by Alex’s father and Viviana. Colourful and expressive, these pieces work in harmony to become the chameleonic soundtrack to Alex’s life.

Jumping between time frames, editing from John Gilroy is deliberately staccato, layering the pieces of Alex’s life into a symphony of experiences that slowly builds towards a dramatic crescendo. It’s in these final sequences that the film slows and really finds its rhythm. As Alex turns once again to music to finally express everything he’s been feeling, Behemoth! hits a poignant note of truth.