Note: Due to large number of orders, please expect a delay of 1~3 working days.
If you are researching "as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen," you are likely deciding whether to commit two hours and seventeen minutes to a slow-burn foreign thriller. Here is why you should:
As Bestas is a haunting film that lingers with the viewer long after the credits roll. It is a tragedy disguised as a thriller, showing how the refusal to communicate and the protection of petty pride can lead to devastating consequences. Sorogoyen has established himself as a vital voice in European cinema, capable of weaving social commentary into gripping, edge-of-your-seat storytelling.
(internationally titled The Beasts) is a visceral 2022 rural thriller directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who solidified his reputation as a master of modern suspense with this multi-Goya-winning production. The Narrative: A Modern Western in Galicia
The film follows Antoine and Olga (played by Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs), a middle-aged French couple who have settled in a remote village in Galicia, Spain, to pursue organic farming and restore abandoned houses. Their idealistic "back-to-the-land" dream curdles into a nightmare when they oppose a wind farm project that promised life-changing payouts to the impoverished locals.
This disagreement triggers a escalating conflict with their neighbors, particularly the brothers Xan and Lorenzo (Luis Zahera and Diego Anido), whose hostility morphs from petty harassment into a "law-of-the-jungle" dynamic of physical and psychological intimidation. Thematic Depth and Direction
Sorogoyen, working with longtime co-writer Isabel Peña, uses the film to explore deep-seated social and environmental tensions:
Xenophobia and Identity: The film highlights the "insider vs. outsider" rift, where the French couple is branded as "Monsieur" and never truly accepted by the locals who have suffered through generations of rural decay.
Green Energy Conflict: It serves as a critique of how large-scale renewable energy projects can cause social fragmentation in rural areas, often being viewed as "the intruder" rather than a solution.
The Anthropocene: Academic analyses often link the film to environmental humanities, noting how it depicts the struggle to reconcile global ecological crises with the harsh realities of daily survival in "España vaciada" (Empty Spain). Critical Reception
Performance: Luis Zahera’s performance as the menacing Xan has been described as "possessed," while Ménochet and Foïs are praised for their portrayal of grounded, stubborn resilience.
Style: The film is noted for its "sombre cinematography" and a script that allows the tension to build slowly before a harrowing conclusion.
Accolades: As Bestas was a major critical success, winning nine Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.
You can find more detailed reviews and production details on the Festival Premiers Plans page or read critical analysis from DMovies.
(2022), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen , is a masterful rural thriller that explores the terrifying heights of xenophobia and neighborly conflict in a remote Galician village. Co-written with his longtime collaborator Isabel Peña
, the film is a taut psychological drama that transforms a dispute over land and wind turbines into a haunting meditation on violence and resilience. Key Narrative Pillars The Conflict
: Antoine and Olga, a middle-aged French couple, have settled in a dying Spanish village to practice organic farming and restore abandoned homes. Their refusal to sign a deal for a wind energy project—which would grant the impoverished locals a small payout—ignites a brutal feud with two local brothers, Xan and Lorenzo. Escalating Tension
: Sorogoyen uses long, unhurried takes and powerful dialogue to build a "law of the jungle" atmosphere. The film's first half is defined by male-driven, physical intimidation, while the second shift focuses on Olga’s quiet, stubborn determination to seek justice after a catastrophe strikes. The Performances Denis Ménochet
delivers a powerhouse performance as the beleaguered Antoine, while Marina Foïs anchors the film's emotional core as Olga. Luis Zahera
, as the menacing Xan, provides a chilling portrayal of deep-seated resentment. Critical Success and Themes My 2023: A Year Interrupted | Nobody Knows Anybody 1 Jan 2024 —
Multiple scenes in As bestas (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2022): in the bar, the one with the game of dominoes, and the one where Antoine ( nobodyknowsanybody.com The Beasts (As Bestas) - film review - DMovies 19 Sept 2022 —
Language and family trivia aside, The Beasts is a gripping rural thriller with a duration of 130 minutes that fly by very quickly.
The Beasts (as Bestas), Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Denis Ménochet, 2022
As Bestas (2022), directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, is a masterful psychological thriller that explores the volatile intersection of rural traditions, modern environmentalism, and xenophobia. Known as The Beasts in English, the film swept the 37th Goya Awards, winning nine prizes including Best Film and Best Director. Plot and True Story Inspiration
The film centers on Antoine and Olga (played by Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs), a middle-aged French couple who move to a remote village in Galicia, Spain, to start an organic farm and rehabilitate abandoned stone cottages. Their peaceful vision is shattered by a conflict over a proposed wind farm project; while the impoverished locals want to sell their land to the developers for a payout, Antoine and Olga’s refusal blocks the deal.
Film Review — As Bestas (The Beasts) | Simon Dillon Cinema
A feud develops between a middle-aged French couple and local Spanish farmers in Rodrigo Sorogoyen's riveting drama. Simon Dillon. Medium·Simon Dillon
Directed and co-written by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, (internationally released as The Beasts) is a 2022 psychological thriller set in the rural Galician countryside. The story centers on a middle-aged French couple, Antoine and Olga, who have moved to a small, depopulated village to practice sustainable farming and restore abandoned homes. The Core Conflict
The couple's peaceful life is shattered by a bitter dispute with their neighbors, the Anta brothers (Xan and Lorenzo).
The Trigger: A Norwegian company offers to buy the villagers' land to build a wind farm.
The Divide: While the local brothers see the payout as their only chance to escape a life of grueling toil, Antoine and Olga vote against the project to protect the environment.
Escalation: This disagreement ignites a campaign of xenophobic harassment and sabotage by the brothers, leading to a "point of no return" marked by psychological and physical violence. Narrative Structure The film is noted for a significant mid-point shift:
First Act: Focuses on the brewing machismo and tension between Antoine and the brothers.
Second Act: Following a tragic event, the perspective shifts to Olga, highlighting her quiet resilience and determination to stay despite the hostility and her daughter's pleas to leave. as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen
(released internationally as The Beasts ) is a critically acclaimed 2022 psychological thriller and "rural noir" directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen . Co-written with his frequent collaborator Isabel Peña
, the film is a masterclass in slow-burn tension, exploring themes of xenophobia, class struggle, and the clash between idealism and the harsh realities of rural life. Plot Overview Inspired by a true-crime story from 2010, the film follows Antoine and Olga
(played by Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs), a middle-class French couple who move to a remote village in Galicia, Spain
. Their goal is to live a sustainable life by running an organic farm and restoring abandoned houses to repopulate the area.
Their presence, however, is met with deep-seated resentment from local farmers, particularly the brothers Xan and Lorenzo
(Luis Zahera and Diego Anido). The conflict escalates when Antoine and Olga refuse to sign off on a wind farm project that would provide the locals with a life-changing payout, leading to a campaign of intimidation that spirals into violence. Key Themes The Insider vs. Outsider Dynamic
: The film explores the "vulnerability of global and local bodies," highlighting the friction between "well-traveled" dreamers and impoverished locals who feel trapped by their environment. Masculinity and Violence
: Critics have noted the film's exploration of "masculine values and patriarchal norms," often comparing its tension to classics like Straw Dogs Deliverance Eco-Politics
: The dispute over wind energy serves as a catalyst for larger questions about land ownership, sustainability, and who has the right to decide a community's future. Technical & Critical Reception Cinematography Álex de Pablo
used large-format technology to capture the bleak, rain-soaked landscapes of Galicia, creating a stark contrast to the typical "Spain of sunshine".
: The film was a major success on the awards circuit, winning nine Goya Awards
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 chemistry between the cast members, particularly the "resentful stares" and animalistic tension between Ménochet and the Galician actors, has been widely praised as central to the film's "nail-biting" suspense.
Film Review — As Bestas (The Beasts) | Simon Dillon Cinema
In (2022), director Rodrigo Sorogoyen crafts a searing rural noir that transcends the "stranger in a strange land" trope to examine the visceral friction between modern idealism and ancestral survival. Inspired by the real-life disappearance of Martin Verfondern in the Galician village of Santoalla, the film explores how a dispute over wind turbines ignites a dormant savagery in a dying community. A Narrative of Two Halves
The film is notably bifurcated, shifting its focus from male confrontation to female endurance:
The First Act (The Men): Centered on Antoine (Denis Ménochet), this segment is a claustrophobic psychological thriller. It builds around "male rage" and the stubborn refusal of both the French newcomer and the local brothers, Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo (Diego Anido), to back down.
The Second Act (The Women): Following a pivotal shift, the narrative refocuses on Olga (Marina Foïs). This half abandons the "masculine bluster" for a meditative exploration of grief, stoicism, and the pursuit of justice within a system that largely ignores the rural world. Thematic Core: Gentrification and Xenophobia
Sorogoyen uses the Galician landscape as a "combat arena" to dissect complex socio-political layers:
Competing Dreams: For the French couple, the village is a pastoral Eden for organic farming. For the locals, it is a "grueling existence" they are desperate to escape via the payout from an energy company.
Xenophobia vs. Class Resentment: The hostility isn't just about nationality; it's a clash between those with the luxury of choice (urban transplants) and those trapped by generations of poverty. Visual and Directorial Style
The film’s power lies in its stifling tension and deliberate pacing:
Long Takes: Sorogoyen employs uncomfortably long takes—most notably a breathtaking single-shot dialogue in a bar—to capture the "explosive buildup" of verbal violence before it becomes physical.
Oppressive Atmosphere: Cinematographer Alejandro de Pablo utilizes a "dirt-under-the-fingernails" aesthetic, where the vast autumnal woods and gloomy interiors feel equally trapping.
The "Beasts" Metaphor: The opening slow-motion sequence of the Rapa das Bestas festival—where men wrestle wild horses to the ground—serves as a brutal foreshadowing of how human characters will eventually attempt to subdue one another. Critical Consensus
Reviewers from platforms like The Guardian and Roger Ebert praise the film as a "mature meditation on the modern world". While some critics found the final act’s transition into drama less effective than the initial thriller-like tension, most agree that the "universally strong performances"—particularly the contrast between Ménochet's "wounded-bear" testiness and Zahera's "attack-dog fury"—make it one of the most powerful Spanish films of recent years. The Beasts movie review & film summary - Roger Ebert
In the vast, windswept plains of Galicia, Spain, a different kind of horror movie is playing out. It doesn't feature jump scares, gothic castles, or supernatural entities. Instead, its terror is rooted in something far more primal: land, pride, and the thin, rusted wire of civilized discourse. Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s 2022 masterpiece, As Bestas (released internationally as The Beasts), is a slow-burn thriller that burrows under your skin with the persistence of a wood tick.
Following the international acclaim of The Realm (2018) and Mother (2019), Sorogoyen pivots from political corruption and real-time grief to a stark, rural fable. What emerges is arguably his most mature, harrowing, and essential work—a film that won nine Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
This article dissects the mechanics of As Bestas: its narrative engine, its thematic brutality, the extraordinary performances, and why the film serves as a chilling allegory for a fractured Europe.
Sorogoyen, who previously directed the thriller The Candidate (El Reino), proves here that he is a master of pacing.
The visual language of the film contributes heavily to the anxiety. The camera often lingers just a beat too long on a character’s face. The framing is tight and claustrophobic, even when surrounded by the lush, green, open landscapes of Galicia. This creates a paradox: the world is beautiful, but there is nowhere to run.
The sound design is equally pivotal. The silence of the rural night is repeatedly shattered by the intrusion of the neighbors. The absence of a soundtrack in key scenes forces the audience to listen to the environment, turning every snapping twig or distant dog bark into a potential threat. If you are researching "as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen,"
While the setting is specifically Galician, the conflict is universal. From the Yellow Vests in France to the coal miners in Appalachia, the world is witnessing a violent clash between post-industrial localism and globalized, post-materialist values.
As Bestas asks a brutal question: If someone is starving, how much moral authority does a well-fed person have to tell them they cannot eat?
Furthermore, the film speaks to the failure of dialogue. Antoine speaks French and broken Spanish; the brothers speak Galician and broken Spanish. They cannot truly hear one another. In an era of social media echo chambers, Sorogoyen shows us what happens when translation fails—when "respecting local culture" collides with "protecting universal values."
The Unflinching Gaze of Rodrigo Sorogoyen: Unpacking the Depth of "As Bestas"
In the realm of contemporary Spanish cinema, few filmmakers have managed to captivate audiences with the same level of intensity and nuance as Rodrigo Sorogoyen. With his latest film, "As Bestas" (2021), Sorogoyen solidifies his reputation as a masterful storyteller, delving into the complexities of human nature and the blurred lines between civilization and savagery.
The Film's Premise
"As Bestas" tells the story of a group of friends who embark on a hunting trip in the Spanish countryside. The excursion, meant to be a bonding experience and a chance to disconnect from the stresses of urban life, gradually descends into chaos as the group's dynamics unravel and their primal instincts take over. What begins as a tranquil retreat into nature soon becomes a descent into the darkest recesses of human psychology.
Sorogoyen's Vision
Through "As Bestas," Sorogoyen poses fundamental questions about the human condition, encouraging viewers to confront the duality of their own nature. The film's title, which translates to "The Beasts," is a deliberate reference to the idea that, beneath the veneer of civility, lies a primal, bestial essence waiting to be unleashed.
Sorogoyen's vision is not merely to create a visceral, thrilling experience but to craft a thought-provoking exploration of the tensions between individuality and group mentality. By stripping his characters of their social masks, he lays bare their insecurities, fears, and desires, revealing the fault lines that separate human beings from the natural world.
The Performances
The ensemble cast, comprising seasoned actors such as José Coronado, Antonio Velázquez, and Luis Zahera, deliver performances that are at once raw and refined. As the narrative spirals out of control, the actors skillfully convey the escalating tensions and emotions, imbuing their characters with a palpable sense of vulnerability.
The Cinematography
Shot on location in the rugged Spanish countryside, the film's cinematography, handled by Rafael Iruegas, is a character in its own right. The camera work is breathtaking, capturing the unforgiving beauty of the landscape and the intense physicality of the characters' actions. Iruegas's lens work masterfully oscillates between intimacy and distance, reflecting the characters' increasingly fractured relationships.
Themes and Symbolism
Beneath its surface-level depiction of a hunting trip gone awry, "As Bestas" teems with symbolism and thematic resonance. Sorogoyen engages with a range of ideas, from the Aristotelian concept of "thymos" (the spiritedness that drives human beings) to the tensions between nature and culture.
The film's use of hunting as a metaphor for the human condition is particularly striking. As the characters stalk their prey, they are, in effect, stalking their own darker selves, confronting the beasts within. This struggle is echoed in the film's score, composed by Julio de la Rosa, which seamlessly blends diegetic and non-diegetic sound to create an unnerving sense of unease.
Critical Context
"As Bestas" arrives at a time when Spanish cinema is experiencing a renaissance, with filmmakers like Sorogoyen, Carlos Simón, and Benito Zambrano pushing the boundaries of narrative storytelling. The film has drawn comparisons to the works of Spanish auteur Luis Buñuel, whose subversive, psychologically complex films continue to inspire generations of filmmakers.
Conclusion
In "As Bestas," Rodrigo Sorogoyen has created a masterpiece of contemporary Spanish cinema, a film that not only unsettles but also thoughtfully provokes. By plunging his characters into the heart of the natural world, Sorogoyen reveals the darkness that lurks within us all, laying bare the primal fears and desires that underpin human existence.
As a work of cinematic art, "As Bestas" joins the ranks of Sorogoyen's previous films, such as "Tengo ganas de ti" (2012) and "Stockholm" (2013), cementing his reputation as one of the most innovative and fearless filmmakers working today. For audiences willing to confront the beasts within, "As Bestas" offers a visceral, unforgettable experience that will linger long after the credits roll.
Tension in the Galician Wild: A Deep Dive into Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s As Bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s 2022 film
(The Beasts) is a powerhouse of contemporary Spanish cinema, blending the raw tension of a rural thriller with deep psychological and sociopolitical commentary. The film swept the 37th Goya Awards, winning nine categories including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. 1. Synopsis: A Conflict of Ideologies
The story follows Antoine (Denis Ménochet) and Olga (Marina Foïs), an educated French couple who have moved to a remote village in Galicia to practice sustainable organic farming and restore abandoned homes. Their idyllic vision clashes violently with the local residents, particularly two brothers, Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo (Diego Anido).
The primary catalyst for the feud is a wind farm project. The French couple refuses to sell their land to the renewable energy developers, blocking a significant financial payout for the impoverished locals who see the wind farm as their only ticket out of a life of grueling toil. 2. The Real-Life Inspiration Renewable energies in the Spanish rural landscape
The boundary between man and beast is not drawn in the dirt. It is drawn in the silence that follows a slammed door.
Antoine had lived in the stone house for seven years. He was not a local; he was a francés, a Parisian who had traded the Seine for the steep, unforgiving slopes of the Salvanés valley. His wife, Olga, said he had become more Galician than the Galicians. He spoke the language with a rusty accent, repaired his own roof, and refused to sell a single centimeter of his land to the wind consortium.
That was the sin. The unpardonable one.
The turbines were to be planted on the hill known as A Besta—The Beast. For the villagers, the turbines meant salvation: a payout, a future for their children who had all fled to Vigo or Madrid. For Antoine, they meant the death of the wild, the industrial scar on the last breathing lung of the mountain.
And so, the war began.
Xan and Lorenzo were brothers. Not young, not old. Farmers with hands like cracked leather and eyes that had learned to look away. They did not hate Antoine because he was French. They hated him because he had said “no” in a town where silence was the only currency of survival. He had stood in the concello and called the wind project a “rape of the earth.” The developer had left. The checks had vanished. In the vast, windswept plains of Galicia, Spain,
Now, the village looked at the brothers. And the brothers looked at Antoine.
The first acts were small. A missing fence post. Slashed tires. A dead dog—not poisoned, but found with its neck twisted, left at the edge of the property line like a warning written in fur.
Olga begged him to go to the Guardia Civil. Antoine, stubborn as the granite beneath their feet, refused. “If we run, they win,” he said. He installed cameras. He bought a shotgun.
But the true beast was not the mountain. It was the slow, grinding erosion of the human heart.
One night, Xan and Lorenzo came down from A Besta after drinking orujo. They were not masked. They did not need to be. In that valley, a face is not evidence; it is a verdict. They found Antoine mending a stone wall by flashlight.
The conversation, if it could be called that, was a masterpiece of Sorogoyen’s merciless eye. It was not a shout. It was a whisper that curdled.
“You think you are one of us?” Xan asked, spitting into the dirt. “You are a pet. And we put down pets that bite the hand.”
Antoine stood, his flashlight trembling. “The turbines are dead. Go home.”
Lorenzo did not speak. He simply picked up a fence post—the one Antoine had just repaired—and hefted it.
What followed was not a fight. It was a threshing. The camera, if one were watching, would not cut away. It would hold on the mud, the blood, the terrible intimacy of a man’s breath turning to rattle. The valley listened. The owls did not hoot. The wind, the real wind, did not howl. It held its breath.
When it was over, Xan and Lorenzo stood above the shape that had been their neighbor. They did not look at each other. They looked at the house. In the window, a candle flickered. Olga had seen everything.
They did not run. They walked back up the hill, into the mist, into the waiting dark of A Besta. Because a beast does not flee its own shadow.
The Guardia Civil came at dawn. Olga, hollow-eyed, gave her statement. The brothers were arrested in their own kitchen, sitting at a table with two untouched bowls of caldo. No confession. No remorse. Just a question from Xan to the officer: “Did the foreigner finally learn to shut up?”
The story does not end there. Because As Bestas is not a mystery. It is a fable.
Months later, the wind consortium returned. With Antoine dead, his land fell into a legal labyrinth. The remaining heirs—a distant nephew in Lyon—signed the option papers. The turbines went up. They turn now, white and serene, on the hill called A Besta.
And every night, Olga walks to the edge of the property. She does not look at the turbines. She looks at the empty house of Xan and Lorenzo, now padlocked, its roof caved in. She looks at the mountain where her husband’s blood soaked the same earth as the brothers’ ancestors.
She understands now that the real beast was never the wind. It was the love of a place so fierce that it consumes everything else. It was the refusal to bend. It was the silence of a village that saw everything and chose the hill over the man.
She turns her back on the valley, walks inside, and locks the door. But the lock is for herself. Because the beast is not outside. It is in the memory of a single, unspeakable night when men became animals, and the mountain said nothing at all.
Released in 2022, As Bestas (The Beasts) is a critically acclaimed rural thriller directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen. It swept the 2023 Goya Awards and won the César Award for Best Foreign Film, cementing Sorogoyen’s status as a master of psychological tension. 1. Plot Overview
The film follows Antoine and Olga, a French couple who have settled in a remote village in Galicia, Spain. They live a sustainable life, farming organic vegetables and restoring abandoned houses to encourage local tourism. However, their presence is deeply resented by the locals, specifically two brothers, Xan and Lorenzo, who are eager to sell their land to a wind energy company—a deal that requires the French couple's consent. 2. Key Themes
Rural vs. Modernity: The tension between the couple's idealistic "back-to-the-land" movement and the locals' desire to escape poverty through industrial wind farm deals.
Xenophobia and Identity: Exploring the "foreigner" dynamic in isolated communities, where even long-term residents are treated as outsiders.
Human Violence: The escalation from verbal threats to physical brutality, examining how environmental and social pressures can strip away civility. 3. The "Sorogoyen" Style
Rodrigo Sorogoyen is known for his ability to maintain high-octane tension. In As Bestas, he utilizes:
Long Takes: Immersive sequences that force the audience to endure uncomfortable social confrontations in real-time.
Atmospheric Cinematography: Shot in the village of Quintela de Barjas, the film uses the "wild and little explored nature" of the Los Ancares region to create a sense of isolation and dread. 4. Cast & Performances
Denis Ménochet (Antoine): Delivers a powerful, physical performance as a man pushed to his limits.
Marina Foïs (Olga): Provides a quiet, resilient counterpoint, especially in the film's second act.
Luis Zahera (Xan): His chilling performance as the primary antagonist earned him widespread acclaim and a Goya Award for Best Supporting Actor. 5. Critical Reception
Awards: Winner of 9 Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.
Cannes Premiere: Debuted in the Cannes Première section in 2022, where it was hailed for its taut direction. Resistance: A Journal of Radical Environmental Humanities
The title is a clever trap. Who are the beasts?
On the surface, it is Xan and Lorenzo. Luis Zahera delivers a volcanic, Goya-winning performance as Xan—a man so poisoned by resentment that his face twitches with barely contained rage. He is not a cartoon villain. He is a product of a dying rural economy who sees a foreigner dictating the terms of his survival. When Xan snarls, "You don’t know what hunger is," he reveals the wound: the urban elite preserving nature for their own aesthetic pleasure while rural communities starve.
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.