Rodrigo Sorogoyen | As Bestas

No analysis of As Bestas is complete without praising the three lead performances:

As Bestas opens with an almost documentary-like tranquility. We are introduced to Antoine (Denis Ménochet) and Olga (Marina Foïs), a French couple who have moved to a remote, depopulated village in Galicia, Spain. They are idealists. They have restored a dilapidated stone house, planted organic crops, and are working to repurpose abandoned local land for renewable energy. 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. No analysis of As Bestas is complete without

The conflict is immediate and economic. A Chinese wind power company is paying villagers for access to their land. The brothers Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo (Diego Anido)—known locally as "the beasts"—are the gatekeepers of the village. They have agreed to sell their plots, making a substantial profit. Antoine, however, refuses to sell the plot that sits between the brothers’ land and the proposed turbine site. Without his signature, the deal collapses. They have restored a dilapidated stone house, planted

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 acting is the engine of the film.