As Bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen
As Bestas is not merely a thriller; it is a profound tragedy about the impossibility of coexistence when survival is at stake. Rodrigo Sorogoyen strips away romantic notions of countryside life to reveal the primal conflicts that simmer beneath the soil. By refusing to paint heroes or villains, he creates a mirror for contemporary tensions—between nations, classes, and ecologies. The final shot of Olga, standing alone in the muddy field as the villagers go about their business, is one of the most devastating endings in recent cinema. It asks a simple, haunting question: Who are the real beasts?
Recommended for: Fans of Straw Dogs (1971), The Hunting Ground (2015), Leviathan (2014), and anyone interested in slow-burn psychological horror rooted in social realism.
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
(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 as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen
, 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 As Bestas is not merely a thriller; it
: 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. The acting is the engine of the film
Film Review — As Bestas (The Beasts) | Simon Dillon Cinema
The acting is the engine of the film.
Sorogoyen avoids easy binaries. The locals are not mere villains; they are impoverished, abandoned by the state, and see the wind turbines as their only retirement plan. The French couple, while sympathetic, represents a post-materialist privilege that the locals cannot afford. The conflict is not just about land—it is about two incompatible worldviews: subsistence vs. survival, ecology vs. economy.
The title is deliberately ambiguous. Who are the real beasts?
The search term "as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen" surged after the 2023 Goya Awards. The film won nine awards, including Best Actor for Denis Ménochet and Best Supporting Actor for Luis Zahera (a raw, volcanic turn that has become iconic).
But the film’s cultural impact goes beyond trophies. It ignited a national conversation in Spain about la España vacía (the Empty Spain). For decades, Spanish cinema portrayed the countryside as bucolic or comedic. Sorogoyen shows it as a pressure cooker of resentment. The conflict between the environmentalist couple and the struggling farmers mirrors real tensions across Europe: the clash between post-industrial green capitalism and the gritty survival instincts of the working class.
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: