As bestas

I had the pleasure of attending Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "As Bestas" premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and my blood is still boiling. I have not seen a film that has made me feel as tense and nervous as this one since Whiplash. Based on the audience's reaction and the ~6 minute standing ovation, I am sure I'm not the only one.

The movie covers the story of a retired french couple who decides to move to a rural village in the Galician mountains. Their love for the village and enthusiasm is however met by the abusive and antagonistic oppression of a local family who has been living there their whole life. The two brothers, played flawlessly by Luis Zahera and Diego Anido, are offended by the "frenchie's" higher intellectuality and devote their time to make the couple's life a living hell.

Spanish cinema once again proves its extent and foundation with this perfectly executed, brilliantly written, and graciously acted piece of work. A must watch.

There are those that will oppose new residents, especially if they cost them recompense, why should foreigners have a say, in how they live and work and play, as lifelong locals they are taking great offence.

Denis Ménochet is immense as the invasive species into Galicia who fails to support the locals, more especially two aggressive brothers in their desires for an escape from their unrewarding toil through the sale of their land to a wind turbine interest. The tension builds to an inevitable conclusion and leaves you questioning what you may have done in a similar scenario, from both perspectives, although you might hope the local constabulary had a little more backbone if you were in Antoine's position.

Splendid film that bases much of its story in a suffocating atmosphere and a slow narrative pace but that creates that aura that overwhelms you throughout the film.

The performances, the direction and the photography, not to mention the script, are sublime and are destined to become an immediate classic of Spanish cinema, since the portrayal of this forgotten and impoverished Spain is sublime.

It is a work that perfectly captures the differences between the local people of the rural communities and those who settle from the cities and how the way of life of both clashes and are practically irreconcilable differences due to the opposite way of life and values that both communities have.

As an inhabitant of a village similar to the one shown in the film I can say that it is a very faithful portrayal of the differences and conflicts between the natives and those who come from outside eager to implement a change of life without asking or taking into account the local population.

When one person's hell is another person's paradise, conflict is inevitable.

This film tells the story of a crime, which opposes beasts, mountain brutes who have nothing to lose, to dreamers, agroecologists who return to the origins, fed up with urbanity.

If the dream of some prevents the end of the nightmare of others, tragedy seems inevitable.

I cannot help find some reminiscences in this argument with Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources by Marcel Pagnol. But here everything happens in a darker, more brutal, more realistic way. Here the violence is much more than just psychological.

A dark but intelligent vision of rural counter-exodus and agroecology.

My wife and I watched As Bestas (or The Beasts for the English title) with a particular interest as this story could have been a story happening to us. I'm from Belgium, living in Spain now, farming olives and almonds. In the movie everything is happening in Galicia (in the North), whilst I live in Andalucia (in the South). Whilst wind turbines played a big role in the movie, here it's about solar panels. So yes it was an interesting movie to watch, very similar things happening in our lives. The acting was particularly good, definitely the best thing about this slow-burn drama/thriller. Good movie although the end could have been a bit more satisfying.