As Bestas Rodrigo Sorogoyen -

On the surface, they are living the dream of a return to nature. But the locals see them differently: as invaders.

But as the film grinds toward its horrific central event—the abduction and murder of Antoine—Sorogoyen flips the script. The real beast, he suggests, might be the land itself. Or perhaps the beast is the desperation of depopulated rural Europe. The villagers are not evil; they are starving. The young have left for the cities. The only currency left is land, and Antoine is a foreigner holding their lottery ticket hostage. as bestas rodrigo sorogoyen

The sound design is a masterwork. The mooing of distant cows, the screech of a woodcutter’s saw, the howl of the wind through the eucalyptus trees—these are not background noises; they are the weapons of psychological warfare. On the surface, they are living the dream

Sorogoyen also deploys a devastating narrative trick: empathy. For the first hour, we hate Xan. But in the final act, we see him humiliated, trapped by his own crime, his family falling apart. When he weeps in his truck, we realize he is also a victim of the land’s brutal logic. He is not a monster; he is a man who has become monstrous. 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). The real beast, he suggests, might be the land itself

What follows is a masterclass in escalating tension. Sorogoyen, known for his kinetic thriller May God Save Us , here employs a slower, more oppressive rhythm. The first act is a catalogue of micro-aggressions: dirty looks in the bar, poisoned dogs, sabotaged fences. Xan and Lorenzo do not roar; they whisper threats. Luis Zahera’s Xan is a tornado of paranoid rage, while Diego Anido’s Lorenzo is a silent, hulking shadow—the physical id to Xan’s verbal ego. The title is deliberately slippery. Who are the beasts?