The Beasts

A French couple's plans for a new life in the Spanish countryside turns into a nightmare when a land dispute with local farmers spirals out of control.

French couple Antoine and Olga dream of growing their own eco-friendly crops in a seemingly ideal rural hamlet in the Galician countryside. The outsiders are met with suspicion from the local farmers for their unorthodox farming practices and things sour quickly when they block a deal to sell their land to a wind farming company. The local farmers see the sale as a way out of their impoverished existence and view Antoine and Olga’s resistance as a hostile act rooted in privilege. Tensions escalate and the French couple find themselves fearing for their lives.

Curator’s Note
Loosely based on true events, Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s unbearably tense thriller deftly allows for the nuances of both sides to come through. Although hinging on a monstrous act, the film resists the pull towards simple heroes and villains, rather it hinges on how easy it is to dehumanise what we don’t understand.

Premiering at Cannes in 2022, the film went on to win nine Goya Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Actor.