The Beach

Alex Garland's acclaimed debut novel has been adapted to the screen by John Hodge, whose distinctive cinematic vision was responsible for the screenplays of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. The Beach stars Leonardo Di Caprio as Richard, a wayward, soul-searching young traveller yearning for an unrivalled adventure, who finds himself caught up in troubling, even deadly, undercurrents.

In an old and dilapidated Bangkok hotel, Richard is given a meticulously drawn map pointing the way to 'The Beach' - a place of legend, known to seasoned travellers as an island paradise uncorrupted by civilisation. He and a French couple seek out and discover 'The Beach', hidden among a cluster of islands forbidden to tourists. Once there, they find a small group of rootless souls settled in a communal Eden. But as time passes and divisions open, Richard and the community cross that fine line that separates civilization and savagery. In a frightening climax, their paradise shades into hell...