The Beasts was the closing film of the Houston Latino Film Festival which we got a chance to go check out. The festival, now in its 7th year, had a great selection of films to check out. The day we got a chance to see the closing film The Beasts the line to go into the theater was long. We knew the film had been getting pretty good reviews and also won some awards, so we were very excited.
The Beasts centers around a French couple who move into a Spanish village but are met with side eye from the neighbors. I won’t get into specifics as to why this is the case due to spoiler territory. The movie takes you on a tense filled rollercoaster as the neighbors go back and forth, until everything boils over. Rodrigo Soroyen crafts a slow burner of a film that reaches it’s climax at the end of its second act. Denis Menochet and Marina Fois are outstanding as the couple who are being terrorized by their neighbors.
The film had a very beautiful look and the backdrop of the Spanish countryside was gorgeous. The Beasts is one of those slow burners that ups the tension as we get further into the feud. We really enjoyed when the film kept us on our toes as to what was coming next. There are moments where I was holding my breath in anticipation as to what one character was about to do next. Although the tension is incredible in the first two acts, the film does linger which took me a bit out of the film.
The last act is just as important as the other two, but it feels like the film lingers too long on its ending. This leaves you wondering if that was all even necessary and uncertain if you’re satisfied with the ending we got. Overall, I enjoyed The Beasts for its gorgeous cinematography, great acting, engrossing dialogue, and tension filled moments. The long runtime, as well as dragged out third act brought the film down a bit for me. Therefore, I give The Beasts a 3.5 out of 5. If you’re a fan of slow burners and dialogue heavy films, then this is the movie for you!
