In a cinema that has worked with themes of escalating moral and psychological pressures, corruption of institutions and personal ethics, with a dash of emotional obsession and destructive intimacy, Rodrigo Sorogoyen makes his first trip to the competition section with The Beloved. The Beasts wowed the Croisette in 2022 – this was oddly programmed in the Cannes Premiere section. Starring Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo, this follows the father-daughter relationship between acclaimed film director Esteban Martínez and middling actress Emilia, as they reunite on set after several years of estrangement, exploring a film crew shooting a motion picture in Fuerteventura titled Desierto, in turn set in 1930s Western Sahara. His previous films include Stockholm (2013), May God Save Us (2016), The Realm (2018) and Mother (2019) which was showcased at the Venice Film Festival. The first of the three cinema from Spain offerings in the comp this year, this is Competition film #8 of 22.
Shaking the grid with a solid score average score of 3.2, The Beloved was indeed loved. This will finish in the second tier of top ranked films – prizing is a possibility.
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