The wind turbine conflict is real. Across Spain, green energy deals have exacerbated the divide between environmentalists (often urban incomers) and farmers (who need the cash). Sorogoyen captures the irony: the very people who claim to love the land are often the ones blocking the rural poor from making a living from it.
A taut, atmospheric triumph. Rodrigo Sorogoyen has crafted a film that feels timeless, anchored by some of the best acting in European cinema this decade. It serves as a stark reminder: sometimes, the scariest monsters aren't the ones under the bed, but the ones living next door.
Following the climax of the first act, the film undergoes a radical tonal shift, centering entirely on Olga. Where Antoine met the brothers' aggression with stubborn defiance, Olga approaches the nightmare with quiet, immovable resilience. as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen
Sorogoyen, who previously directed the thriller The Candidate ( El Reino ), proves here that he is a master of pacing.
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. The wind turbine conflict is real
In contemporary Spanish cinema, few filmmakers manipulate tension with the surgical precision of Rodrigo Sorogoyen. His 2022 psychological thriller, As Bestas (released internationally as The Beasts ), stands as a crowning achievement in a career already marked by gripping narratives like May God Save Us (2016) and The Candidate (2018). Co-written with his longtime creative partner Isabel Peña, As Bestas is a masterclass in slow-burn dread, structural subversion, and atmospheric storytelling.
Delivers a powerful, physical performance as a man pushed to his limits. A taut, atmospheric triumph
The sound design and the haunting score by Olivier Arson play equally vital roles. Arson uses primal, percussive elements that echo the film's opening sequence—a slow-motion capture of rapa das bestas , a traditional Galician event where men wrestle wild horses to the ground. This opening image serves as the ultimate metaphor for the film: a brutal exhibition of man attempting to dominate nature and his fellow man through sheer physical force. The Cinematic Legacy of 'As Bestas'
: The film is a brutal deconstruction of the romanticized dream of escaping the city for a simple life in the countryside. For Antoine and Olga, Galicia is a sanctuary. For Xan and Lorenzo, it's a harsh existence, a place of dwindling opportunity. The conflict is a clash between an idealized, "tourist" vision of rural life and the gritty, complicated reality of the locals who struggle there.
The film follows , 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