Billie Piper Is Back With More of That Uncomfortable Energy in Her New Film Rare Beasts

Following the incredibly successful release of her last show, I Hate Suzie, Billie Piper is back for more. The trailer for her new film, Rare Beasts, just landed, and at first glance, it doesn't feel too dissimilar to her last offering. The film stars Rebecca's Lily James and Harry Potter's David Thewlis alongside Piper herself, who also directed and cowrote it. About a single mother named Mandy, the story follows her struggle with anxiety and drug use and experiences navigating the modern dating world. "Even though I feel scared and angry, I still love and respect myself," is a phrase she repeats in the trailer, and it sets the tone for the eerie comedy that poses an important message about the female experience.

Rare Beasts explores womanhood in a refreshingly honest way and doesn't appear to shy away from portraying the slightly more unhinged experiences. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Piper discussed the links between the film and her own experiences. "I know about dysfunctional relationships. I know about what it costs to be a woman. So I can comfortably sit in all of those things and say, yes, all of those experiences have informed my work," she told the newspaper. She added that in Rare Beasts "everyone is at the end of their rope. So there really is nothing to lose for any of them. And in many ways it's an observation of how people behave when they're frightened, and how primal it can get."

Rare Beasts will be available to watch on select streaming platforms from 7 May, 2021.