Pedro Pascal Plays a Heartbreaker Cellist in 'Behemoth!' and Splits Critics in New York: 'His Perfect Role' vs. 'Two Stars'

Pedro Pascal presented 'Behemoth!' on Friday night, October 2, at Alice Tully Hall in New York. It is the new film from Tony Gilroy, the writer-director behind 'Michael Clayton' and the series 'Andor'. The New York Film Festival premiere brought out much of the cast: Eva Victor, Will Arnett, Hank Azaria, Kaya Ralls, Margarita Levieva and Matthew Lillard. Searchlight releases the film in U.S. theaters on December 4.

In the story, the Chilean star plays Alex Serian, a brilliant but emotionally unavailable cellist who returns to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. The narrative unfolds through flashbacks triggered during a film-score recording session, and Olivia Wilde appears as Carol, a role already being singled out as a scene-stealer. SlashFilm gave it an 8.5 and declared that Pascal 'finally finds his perfect movie star role'.

Not everyone walked out charmed. According to a roundup by World of Reel, reviews are mostly positive, with a B+ from IndieWire and praise from TheWrap, but The Guardian gave it two stars out of five, Variety and Screen landed in the middle and The Hollywood Reporter was negative. The same site argues the film is unlikely to contend for best picture and that the score, credited to nine composers, will probably be ineligible for the Oscars, since the Academy caps credited composers at three.