SIFF 2023 | Movie Review: "The Beasts" And The Menacing Feud Among Neighbors
10/12 ForReel Score | 4/5 Stars
The Beasts thrives on a well curated sense of simmering tension throughout the movie. It’s a film that keeps the questions “what’s going to happen next?” and “when is this conflict going to come to a head?” at the forefront of viewers' minds. Directed and co-written by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, The Beasts serves up a terrifying tale about uneasiness among neighbors, and although it may require a certain level of patience from viewers, this is a film that is excellent at instilling suspense in its story.
Image courtesy of SIFF
Loosely based on true events, The Beasts is a story about a farming French couple, Antoine (Denis Ménochet) and Olga Denis (Marina Foïs), who settle in the Spanish countryside to grow their crops and business. But when they take a different stance than the locals regarding a pivotal land sale proposal, the hostility against them begins to increase, particularly from their neighbors Xan (Luis Zahera) and Lorenzo Anta (Diego Anido). Antoine does what he can to protect himself, his wife, and their work from the aggressions of these characters, but their xenophonic attitudes force the couple to question how viable co-existing with this community will be.
The slow burn story allows these drama and conflict to play out in a way that truly instills the dire predicament Antoine and Olga find themselves in. With limited options for how to live peacefully and even less options for how to handle their neighbors, the film is adept at putting audiences in their shoes and imparting the angsty feelings of this dilemma onto viewers. With these two having very few ways to have proper security of their property and wellbeing, it’s easy for audiences to understand that it’s only a matter of time before something terrible happens. The question that keeps this film engaging is “when?”
That looming fear of what will go wrong and when is a tantalizing quality of The Beasts - my second favorite quality of the film only behind the stunning camera work that treats audiences to impressive long take sequences. Impressive long takes and one-take sequences frame the narrative with a keenly observational eye on tense, uncomfortable interactions between characters. But The Beasts plays out with a dramatic record-flip structure that in the second half introduces a new character - Antoine and Olga’s daughter, Marie (Marie Colomb) - and a new conflict - Marie’s disapproval of their living in this village. Thus adding yet another level of tension and drama to the story.
Image courtesy of SIFF
There is much to appreciate about the experience of watching The Beasts, but that said, it’s not a film meant for everyone to enjoy. Many of the characters can be frustrating subjects to tolerate - the Anta brothers being irritatingly xenophobic, Antoine being abnormally naive, and Marie being irrationally insistent on making decisions for Olga - but it’s the pacing of the movie film that is most likely to throw off the interest of many audiences. That slow burn nature to the story can at times be a little too slow and belabor the toxic dynamic between the couple and the villagers.
But with that patience comes great reward; The Beasts is an exceptional thriller to watch play out. People can be monstrous to others when they lack empathy or the ability to understand another’s perspective. Sorogoyen executes a gripping story with an impressive eye on the unfolding story. Ultimately, The Beasts is a gripping drama that is likely to stick in the minds of audiences for a long time.
Acting/Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 1 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer’s Preference - 2 | What does this mean?