The Beasts (2022) – Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy

Antoine and Olga (Denis Menochet and Marina Fois) are outsiders in the place that they have chosen as their home. They are French, educated and committed to improving their environment, both ecologically and through the restoration of the many derelict village houses. Their neighbours, in a tight knit community in Galicia’s rural interior, are insular ‘hill people’. And while many are welcoming, an argument over planning permission for a wind farm sparks tension with a pair of brothers which escalates into a full-blown feud. The latest from Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen is a terrific psychological thriller and a brooding, muscular piece of filmmaking which makes the most of both the Galician backdrop and the imposing physicality of Menochet and, as his nemesis Xan, the remarkable Luis Zahera.

Wendy Ide, Screen Daily

Divided into two time frames, The Beasts is not only disturbing but also deeply moving. Beneath its violent film texture pulsates a thrilling love story: a shared idealism capable of overcoming any fear, tragedy and threat.

Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa

Theme: Crime and Punishment
Country: Spain, France
Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Screenplay: Isabel Peña, Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Starring: Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs, Luis Zahera
Production: Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé, Sandra Tapia / Arcadia Motion Pictures, Caballo Films, Cronos Entertainment
Duration: 137 min
Age limit: K16

Orig. title: As Bestas
Language: Spanish, French
Subtitles: English
Distribution: Latido Films
Cinematography: Alejandro de Pablo
Editing: Alberto del Campo
Music: Oliver Arson
Sound: Fabiola Ordoyo
Costume design: Paola Torres
Make-up: Irene Pedrosa