By Nicholas Barber and Caryn James
![A24 Still from Civil War (Credit: A24)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0hq72sq.jpg.webp)
A24
BBC Culture film critics Nicholas Barber and Caryn James pick their highlights of the year so far, including a vision of a war-torn America, a wonderfully creepy nun horror, and an outrageous Kristen Stewart crime thriller.
![Alamy (Credit: Alamy)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0j042hf.jpg.webp)
Alamy
I came out of The Beast thinking “This is the weirdest film I’ve seen since Poor Things”, but also that I loved it. Bertrand Bonello has created an audacious, imaginative film about love, memory, pain, and artificial intelligence that roams over three time periods, each featuring versions of Gabrielle and Louis. In a stark and chilling 2044, AI can be used to erase feelings of pain, including a broken heart, but that means re-experiencing those memories to erase them. Gabrielle begins the process, which leads her to Belle Epoque Paris and Los Angeles in 2014. Careening through the time periods, The Beast is a head-spinning story filled with unexpected turns and set pieces, constantly exhilarating. (CJ)
![Alamy (Credit: Alamy)](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p0j042lj.jpg.webp)
Alamy