A tense rural thriller that recalls films by John Boorman or Sam Peckinpah, but with a modern twist and a surprising narrative structure, The Beasts was among the ten top-rated films at last year’s Cannes festival. Antoine (Denis Ménochet) and Olga (Marina Fois) are a French couple who settled long ago in a village in the interior of Galicia, Spain. There they lead a quiet life, growing organic vegetables and remodeling abandoned houses, although their relations with the locals are not as idyllic as they might wish. The couple’s refusal to vote for a wind farm nearby accentuates their problems with their neighbors, especially with feral siblings Xan and Lorenzo. Soon, the difficulties of coexistence lead to a situation of no return. –Alissa Simon
Director Biography
Rodrigo Sorogoyen is one of Spain’s most acclaimed directors. His short film “Madre” (2017) was nominated for that year’s Academy Award for Live Action Short Film. Que Dios nos perdone (May God Save Us) (2016) and El reino (The Realm) (2018) appeared at MSPIFF.