Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s thriller The Beasts. It is a Cannes and Sitges festival participant, winner of the San Sebastian prize, and contender for the César and Goya awards with as many as 17 nominations. Here’s a look at what this film is all about and why critics love it.
Plot Overview
French couple Olga and Antoine have been traveling around the world and are tired of the city rush. Their daughter has long since grown up and lives on her own – now nothing prevents them from moving to the quiet Spanish countryside, to breed sheep, grow vegetables and make cheese. But not all villagers are happy about their new neighbors.
Background to the Movie
The film is based on a true story. Neighbors have something to fight over, no one wants to give in. What makes the situation worse is that our heroes aren’t just the new kids in the village. There are a million reasons for misunderstanding. But, of course, the most delicate question is the money. You can download more films like this on our site. If the resource is not available, the pirate bay proxy list is always available for you. But let’s get back to the plot.
The brothers Lorenzo and Sam, like other locals, have lived in this village all their lives. They worked hard, but they never managed to get out of poverty. Therefore, an offer that promises them some money seems like an unbelievable fortune. These people simply have nothing to lose. Their lives are boring and monotonous. Their hands are up to their elbows in dirt, their pockets are empty, and they have no prospects.
The French are another matter. Their move to the countryside is not a forced measure, but a voluntary decision. Antoine is sure that it is possible to make money in the middle of nowhere, if only he wanted to. He is full of romance and kindness.
A Play of Opposites
The simplicity of the sparse village setting is deceptive. Half-destroyed low houses, empty streets, untidy cow stalls – everything screams of poverty and ruin. Lorenzo and Sam echo this sentiment. Their faces are dark with sweat and sunburned. Their clothes are scruffy and they smell of manure forever.
The French are the exact opposite of their neighbors. Their home is cozy, their bed is warm, and their vegetable garden is orderly. And they see the world around them differently. Antoine endlessly admires the beauty of the local expanses, walks through the woods, and revels in the greenness of the fields.
The final chord in the layering of opposites of all stripes is the most subtle and most poignant: man and woman. From the beginning, it is the story of Antoine. But only until the middle of the film. The confrontation between the men ends in a predictable tragedy. But then Olga’s story begins. Her struggle is different. It is slow, persistent, and devoid of violence and aggression. And it ends in relief and long-awaited justice.
Conclusion
The Beasts is a heavy yet necessary movie. It brings suffering, but also purification. Domestic tragedy miraculously takes on a picturesque and sad lyricism. The universal knowledge is that there is nothing more frightening and dangerous than man. Especially inhuman man. But there is always hope.