The Beasts (As Bestas)

French couple Antoine (Denis Menochet) and Olga (Marina Foïs) never expected an easy life moving from France to rural Spain in Galicia, neither to be involved in local politics that has practically turned the village against them. The cause of the grief is a property holder they have some sway over payments that the villagers would gladly take. The village is to all intents and purposes dying, with people leaving and little work. The payoff would enable them to start afresh.

Clinging to their organic lifestyle Olga and Antoine have to deal with harassment, damage to their crops from brothers Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo (Diego Anido) and very little support from the police.

Then one day Antoine disappears and Olga stays on to keep the holding going and try to find clues as to his fate. Her daughter Marie (Marie Colomb) joins her and for a while there’s some support but gradually their own long-standing problems begin to manifest.
Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen and co-written with Isabel Pena The Beasts is a subtle tale of xenophobia, frustration and isolation that has at its heart very real issues that are affecting Spain such as rural depopulation.

As such it’s not hard to understand the Anta brother’s situation; having worked hard with little show for it, what is the point of staying. Added to that the frustration of seeing, from their perspective, relatively well-off foreigners earning a living selling their produce at market, and those same people blocking their way out.

Olga and Antoine reached out and befriended some of the villagers, so it’s not inconceivable that they could have worked with the brothers on some level. Language is also an issue as while Antoine and Olga have made an effort to learn Spanish, the villagers for the most part speak Galician, and Sorogoyen has skilfully worked this in as element of independence and a barrier.

Very clever interplay between the characters and the situation that affects them makes The Beasts an enthralling watch that doesn’t lose anything when it takes a different tack almost midway with the arrival of daughter Marie and her issues.

Similarly when Antoine goes to the local bar to confront the brothers, he’s not dealing with a village idiot but an embittered man who has had enough, feeling frustrated at every turn by powers completely out of his control. It’s a remarkable scene that simmers with both hatred and understanding.

The Beasts had its UK premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival and will be released in UK cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema on 24 March.