As Bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen -
Yet, the film forces us to look at Antoine. Is his stubborn idealism a form of monstrosity? He claims to be defending the landscape, but he is willing to sacrifice the economic well-being of an entire village for his principles. He refuses to compromise, to negotiate, or to leave. In the context of the community, his sainthood looks like arrogance. Sorogoyen refuses to pick a side. The beasts are not the brothers; the beast is the situation itself—a zero-sum game where empathy dies.
in 2023, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor for Denis Ménochet. It also won the César Award for Best Foreign Film in France. Performances
The Galician mountains are beautiful but claustrophobic. Sorogoyen and cinematographer Alex de Pablo use the mist and the jagged terrain to isolate the protagonists, making the vast outdoors feel as tight as a prison cell.
As Bestas premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim and dominated the Spanish cinematic landscape. It swept the 37th Goya Awards, winning nine accolades, including Best Film, Best Director for Sorogoyen, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Denis Ménochet. as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen
In the vast, green landscape of rural Galicia, a quiet tension simmers beneath the surface. In Rodrigo Sorogoyen's masterpiece, , this idyllic scenery becomes the stage for a gripping and unsettling thriller that explores the dark side of human nature. The film, which took the Spanish film industry by storm, is far more than a simple crime story; it's a profound exploration of xenophobia, stubbornness, and the tragic consequences of a breakdown in communication.
The title As Bestas refers to the traditional Galician festival, Rapa das Bestas (The Shearing of the Beasts), which opens the film in stunning, slow-motion detail. In this ritual, unarmed men ( aloitadores ) use their bare hands to wrestle wild horses to the ground to shear their manes. This sequence serves as a metaphor for the entire film: a brutal struggle for dominance, where civilization attempts to overpower the wild, and where human beings devolve into primal beasts.
The auditory landscape is equally deliberate. Olivier Arson’s haunting, percussion-heavy score mimics the rhythmic, primal pounding of a heartbeat or a distant march, signaling an impending doom that cannot be averted. Powerhouse Performances Yet, the film forces us to look at Antoine
: The title, The Beasts , refers not only to the wild horses seen in the film's opening but also to the "beast" that resides within all humans. The film asks a troubling question: how easily does the thin veneer of civility crack when we feel our survival or our way of life is threatened? When does a man defending his home become a "beast" himself?
Cinematographer Alejandro de Pablo utilizes a "dirt-under-the-fingernails" aesthetic, where the vast autumnal woods and gloomy interiors feel equally trapping.
used large-format technology to capture the bleak, rain-soaked landscapes of Galicia, creating a stark contrast to the typical "Spain of sunshine". He refuses to compromise, to negotiate, or to leave
Galicia is portrayed not as a pastoral idyll but as a raw, unforgiving place. The landscape is wild and untamed, mirroring the "law of the jungle" that takes over when state protection feels distant. 3. The Power of Performances
As Bestas dominated the , winning nine categories, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor. It also received widespread international acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, cementing Sorogoyen’s status as one of Europe’s premier directors. Conclusion